Big Night is an annual event common to amphibians as they emerge from underground hibernation in the spring, travel to vernal pools, and mate.
Background
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Amphibians such as salamanders and frogs in a local area usually use the same overwintering area and the same breeding area, returning generation after generation to the area in which they were spawned.[1][2][3] The breeding locations are areas where vernal pools develop from snowmelt and spring rains.[2] The two locations can be a half-mile apart or even farther.[1][3] Although referred to as the Big Night, the event for a species sometimes occurs on several occasions over days or weeks.[1][2][4] In temperate areas, the event usually happens when temperatures are optimal for the particular species, after a rain.[1] The salamander gathering for the mating ritual is known as congressing.[1]
Human assistance
editIn some areas where the path of migration crosses a roadway, volunteers may assist the amphibians to cross the road safely.[2] In some, amphibian and reptile tunnels have been built to funnel the migrating animals safely under the roadway.[5]
In popular culture
editLoren Eiseley wrote an essay, The Dance of the Frogs, about Big Night.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "The Biggest Night(s) of Spring". Mass Audubon. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ a b c d "Gearing Up For Amphibians' "Big Night"". Scenic Hudson. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ a b Staff, Maine Audubon (2024-03-07). "Amphibians are on the Move: Prepare for Big Night!". Maine Audubon. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Big Night 2024 in Amherst!". Amherst, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Henry Street Salamander Tunnels". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Nature Writing in America: Loren Eiseley's Two Cultures --- Adam Regn Arvidson". Numéro Cinq. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2024-06-11.