Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Cuban tree frogs moving toward South Carolina
Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Everything from fire ants and coyotes to armadillos, lionfish and beach kudzu have made new homes in South Carolina over the years. So can the Cuban tree frog be far behind?
The frogs, which are fat, toxic and voracious, have been spotted as far north as Savannah, Ga. So it may not take long for the frogs to migrate across the border into South Carolina, scientists say.
"I don't think it will be as persistent in Georgia and South Carolina as it is in Florida. We do have some cold winters that should knock them back," said Whit Gibbons, a researcher at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
"Of course cold did it for fire ants," he said, "for a while."
"It may not be time for widespread panic, but it's certainly time to take notice," said Steve Bennett, a biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources.
The Cuban tree frog is a cousin to the little green tree frogs that stick to windows and sound like crickets in the night.
They were first noted in the United States about 80 years ago in the Florida Keys and have been migrating slowly north.
The invader eats other tree frogs and can take over their range.
"When it gets there, other tree frogs disappear," Gibbons said. The Cuban tree frog also secretes a substance that causes a painful stinging sensation for humans.
A lone Cuban tree frog was discovered in a Savannah homeowner's backyard pond last month, devouring the other frogs and goldfish. Before that, the frogs had only been seen as far north as Jacksonville, Fla.
"The issue is, how cold-tolerant is it? How far north can it come? That's the big question," Bennett said.
The one Savannah frog, which is now dead, isn't the problem, Gibbons said.
The real concern is that the frogs will be able to survive the winter in South Carolina.
Millions of native tree frogs can be found along the coast but the population "can go from a million to none in a pretty short time," Gibbons said.
The December through February outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this month calls for a wetter and colder winter than usual in the Southeast.
Cuban tree frogs moving toward South Carolina
Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Everything from fire ants and coyotes to armadillos, lionfish and beach kudzu have made new homes in South Carolina over the years. So can the Cuban tree frog be far behind?
The frogs, which are fat, toxic and voracious, have been spotted as far north as Savannah, Ga. So it may not take long for the frogs to migrate across the border into South Carolina, scientists say.
"I don't think it will be as persistent in Georgia and South Carolina as it is in Florida. We do have some cold winters that should knock them back," said Whit Gibbons, a researcher at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
"Of course cold did it for fire ants," he said, "for a while."
"It may not be time for widespread panic, but it's certainly time to take notice," said Steve Bennett, a biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources.
The Cuban tree frog is a cousin to the little green tree frogs that stick to windows and sound like crickets in the night.
They were first noted in the United States about 80 years ago in the Florida Keys and have been migrating slowly north.
The invader eats other tree frogs and can take over their range.
"When it gets there, other tree frogs disappear," Gibbons said. The Cuban tree frog also secretes a substance that causes a painful stinging sensation for humans.
A lone Cuban tree frog was discovered in a Savannah homeowner's backyard pond last month, devouring the other frogs and goldfish. Before that, the frogs had only been seen as far north as Jacksonville, Fla.
"The issue is, how cold-tolerant is it? How far north can it come? That's the big question," Bennett said.
The one Savannah frog, which is now dead, isn't the problem, Gibbons said.
The real concern is that the frogs will be able to survive the winter in South Carolina.
Millions of native tree frogs can be found along the coast but the population "can go from a million to none in a pretty short time," Gibbons said.
The December through February outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this month calls for a wetter and colder winter than usual in the Southeast.
