In recent days, the massive increase in the number of frogs in some areas of Baku and Sumgayit has caused concern among residents.
“Elchi” reports, citing Oxu.Az, that yards, streets, and vacant lots are filled with numerous frogs, especially in the Mashtaga and Ramana settlements of Baku, as well as the Novkhani and Saray settlements of the Absheron district, and the Yashma gardens and Gurd darasi areas of Sumgayit. According to residents, the number of frogs has increased so much that they are even entering roads and obstructing traffic. In some areas, drivers report having to drive cautiously on the roads.
Answering questions from Oxu.Az regarding the issue, Gulbaniz Gasimova, a leading researcher at the Institute of Study of Living Systems and a PhD in Biology, stated that due to the rainy weather conditions during the spring and summer months of this year, a large number of ponds have formed in suburban areas, which has been favorable for the reproduction and development of frogs:
“Since the ponds did not dry up due to incessant rains, the vast majority of the eggs laid by the frogs were able to complete their development. The large number of frogs observed in recent days are juvenile individuals of the green toad (Bufo viridis) common on the Absheron Peninsula. This species can lay thousands of eggs, and favorable conditions have allowed them to develop into juvenile individuals. The reason for their massive appearance after the rain is that the juvenile individuals in the ponds are spread to the surrounding areas by floodwaters. Also, since adult green toads prefer to live mainly in dry areas, they are more often encountered outside of water bodies at this stage.
I should note that the massive appearance of these frogs is a natural phenomenon and poses no danger, as there is a mechanism in nature that regulates their population.”