Toad beats frog

 

Toad beats frog

 

Agudengba and the coachman Adhuo were walking and chatting by the river. Agudengba said to Adhuo: This summer in Myanmar can be said to be an extremely hot "bitter summer": whether it is the highest temperature in a single day or the cumulative number of high-temperature days, All exceeded the highest records since local meteorological records were kept. Such intense and sustained high temperature and drought weather has a great impact on wildlife. For amphibians that cannot regulate their own body temperature and are relatively dependent on water sources, the degree of suffering of survival is evident.

Agudengba said: Because the weather is too hot, I don’t go out into the wild much for night exploration. However, I went into the mountains a few times for night exploration and discovered a phenomenon, that is, many streams are close to drying up, and the number of various frogs has been significantly reduced. . Relatively speaking, Chinese toads are still easy to see, which shows that they have an unusual ability to withstand high temperatures and droughts.

The coachman Azhuo was stunned for a moment and said: I have lived in Myanmar for a long time, but I have never heard of "Chinese toad"?

Agudengba said: When the name "Chinese Toad" is mentioned, many people may be confused. What kind of "high-end" treasure is this? But if I say to you: It is a toad! It will dawn on you.

The coachman Azhuo laughed: Ah, the "Chinese toad" turns out to be a toad, a toad that wants to eat swan meat!

Agudengba also laughed: Although the Chinese toad looks ugly, it is actually an amphibian with high abilities. Of course, there are many kinds of toads, and the Chinese toad is the most common toad in China. The distribution areas of most species are very narrow, and only three species are widely distributed, namely the Chinese toad, the flower-backed toad and the black-orbited toad. The flower-backed toad is mainly distributed in the north, while the black-orbited toad's territory is mainly in the south, and has gradually begun to border the distribution area of the flower-backed toad. And the "sphere of influence" exceeds that of all other toads. It can be said that it covers the north and south of the Yangtze River and almost "dominates the world". It is the Chinese toad. There are three subspecies of Chinese toad, and the distribution area of these three subspecies together covers more than half of China. It seems that they are distributed in every province except Tibet, Xinjiang, Hainan and Taiwan. In addition to its wide distribution, the Chinese toad is also characterized by its large size. Therefore, the Chinese toad was originally also called the Chinese giant toad, which is worthy of its name. However, it is called a toad among the people, naturally because its skin is very rough, its back is densely covered with bumps of different sizes, and only its head is smooth. Don’t think it’s ugly because of its appearance. The Chinese toad has a thicker cuticle on its skin, which allows it to move in a drier environment away from water sources. In short, the Chinese toad is so widely distributed and can adapt to various climate and terrain conditions. It cannot do without some real skills.

The coachman Azhuo suddenly shouted: Mr. Agudengba, look, there is a big guy here! So big, so big!

Agudengba hurried forward and couldn't help laughing when he saw it and said, "It turns out to be a toad! This is the most common Chinese toad."

This toad was very fat, squatting on the ground with great dignity, and looked very calm in front of Agudengba. Agudengba squatted down and said to Adhuo: "It has toad skill! I have seen it before. How about I demonstrate it to you now?" Adhuo said yes.

So Agudengba gently touched the toad with his finger and said at the same time: "When the Chinese toad encounters an enemy, it will sometimes stand upright to make itself taller and more powerful." Unfortunately, this toad was not "favorable". , it did not become a "Transformer" as I said, but jumped into the small ditch aside with a "click".

Although Azhuo did not see the "Toad Kung Fu", he saw the "tragic" scene of the Chinese toad struggling to resist the red chain snake. A red chain snake was devouring the toad that was as big as a child's hand. The toad's entire head had entered the snake's mouth, and traces of blood were seeping from its skin. Although it was in a desperate situation, it still resisted with all its strength. However, it first spread its limbs and propped itself up on the ground, and bulged its belly with force. The snake was also very smart. It quickly wrapped the toad tightly and turned it over so that its legs were in the air. But this toad is very tenacious, and its whole body is as swollen as if it were inflated. No matter how the snake adjusted its posture, tightened its coils, and tried to swallow, it could only swallow its head. In this way, after struggling for a long time, the red chain snake reluctantly let go of its mouth, and the toad escaped.

Agudengba said to Azhuo: The skin on both sides of the toad's back has the same function as air sacs. As long as the lungs are full of air, the "air sacs" will inflate, making the body close to a spherical shape to avoid being swallowed whole by snakes. This is a typical "Toad Kung Fu". This red chain snake seems to be "young and inexperienced" and lacks mature hunting skills. The experienced red chain snake will first use its large cutting teeth like daggers to pierce the toad's air sac, "deflate" and then slowly swallow it.

Agudemba continued: Of course, many other frogs have similar "inflatable" ability to defend themselves against enemies, but the Chinese toad also has an ability that most amphibians do not possess. Chinese toads can forage far away from water sources and have a wide range of activities. In fact, they are not only drought tolerant, but also quite cold tolerant. The breeding season for Chinese toads is particularly early. After a short period of hibernation, in February, which is still at the end of winter, they emerge in large numbers and begin courting and breeding. A pair of toads can lay thousands of eggs at a time. In February and March, groups of black tadpoles can be seen swimming together in ponds and ditches. This is the tadpole of the Chinese toad.

Agudengba smiled and said to Azhuo: The Chinese regard toads as mythical beasts, which is why they got the famous name "Chinese Toad". The cold-resistant toad even "lived" in Guanghan Palace! It may be because the shadows of the lunar craters are shaped like toads, so the ancients often used toads to refer to the moon. It has many beautiful names such as jade toad, ice toad, toad wheel, toad hook, toad palace, toad cave, etc. The great poet Du Fu once wrote a five-character quatrain titled "Moon": "Autumn is approaching in the sky, and the shadow of the moon on earth is clear. Toads enter the river, and rabbits who make medicine live forever." Therefore, absolutely no one in China would call toads "China" "Toad".

Agudengba sang a song called "The Toad Wins the Frog":

 

Have a peaceful mind and everything goes smoothly.

Opportunities are determined by state of mind.

The toad does not complain about ugliness,

Don't wallow in pessimism.

If you accept your fate badly, you will be negative;

Leading to a lack of enthusiasm for action.

All things come to an end when everything is depressed,

Destiny changes depending on state of mind.

If there is no hope in your heart,

Naturally, you will lose power.

Good luck lies before you,

The key is to have a good attitude.

The toad does not compete with the frog,

Appearance cannot determine victory or defeat.

Eliminating harm for the people depends on performance.

The golden toad is the divine beast in the world.