Shou Frog

Shou Frogs are a species of very long lived frogs that take a long time to mature, but have a lifespan similar to turtles. From the Mandarin word 'Shou', for longevity, Shou Frogs are laid in pods of tadpoles and take roughly two to three years to mature to adolescent amphibians, living in clusters in small pools entirely underwater until they grow legs, transitioning to having the ability to breathe air but losing their gills in the process. From there, it takes another ten years before they reach maturity and lay pods of their own. Species have been known to live for well over two hundred years and counting, but not growing particularly large. Unlike most amphibians, they do not hibernate, but rather when the weather is cold cluster around warmer underground streams. They are a mottled green with brown spots,and it is said that the number of individual spots they have is the number of years they have been alive, though this is anecdotal at best. What is known that they have a long memory and are solitary creatures. They tend to live in burrows, particularly favoring wet areas close by the water and ponds, and have been seen using sticks and stones to help stabilize their burrows or alternatively to lay traps for their prey. They are lethargic, sedentary creatures and only seem to be active when searching for food or fleeing. When moving quickly they make a distinctive 'shoomph' sound that is almost like a nag, telling others to leave them alone. They are a particularly favored food of the Yuriban Wood Hog, which has learned how to collapse their burrows and pop them out, and often when they are having piglets the wood hogs will cluster by ponds to try and catch them to feed their young.