2. Design and carry out a study project based on natural or captive observation of a selected amphibian(s) and write a paper on the conclusions arrived at during the study. The parameters of the study should involve a minimum of 25 hours of actual observation time and no more than a maximum total duration of one season. Intentional harm/death of the study target is not permitted.
Note: Most amphibian species have had very little research carried out on them. It is a field wide open for study of even some of the simplest elements. For example,very little data exists on the seasonal activities of frogs and the climatic factors that influence them. When does chorusing begin and stop, when does it reach its highest volume, what are the atmospheric conditions and variations associated with these? What are the dates for egg laying, hatching, transformation? What are the growth rates, age of sexual maturity, average and maximum longevity, duration of breeding behavior, courtship behavior, rate of dispersal, location of brumation or estivation sites? Little is known about homing ability, territorial maintenance, interaction dur- ing breeding and non-breeding times, and many other issues. It is indeed a field wide open to the curious and fascinated.
