Critter Profile: Pothole!

Pothole.png

{$caption}

rating: +44+x

Critter Profile: Pothole!

Overview!

Pothole.png

Name: Pothole

Species: Breviceps Adspersus Urbanis (Pavement Rain Frog)1

Primary Caretaker: Silas Repadsen, Lead Parking Attendant

Diet: Small Insects and Ants, Sediment

Housed: Wilson's Wildlife Center, Parking Lot C

Creature Features!

Pothole is an absolute menace, and has quickly become one of the most beloved critters at Wilson's Wildlife — while he may not be able to communicate with our team directly, the amount of trouble this little guy can create is astounding. His sense of humor is fantastic, and he loves to play with the many caretakers that work at Wilson's.

Unlike most other rain frogs, Breviceps Adspersus Urbanis are significantly larger than their non-anomalous brethren. While common rain frogs range from 40-60mm in length, pavement rain frogs can grow to as large as 40 inches long! They are also incredibly dense critters, with Pothole weighing in at a hefty 52 pounds, though that doesn't stop his love of being carried around from place to place.

Like all other pavement rain frogs, Pothole is part of an anomalous sub-species with a unique form of camouflage — unlike their non-anomalous counterparts, who burrow in soil or loose sediment, pavement rain frogs have adapted to burrow directly into asphalt or pavement. They do this with their front claws (which are as hard as rebar!), digging down until they are level with the pavement. Once this is accomplished, the Pavement Rain Frog will change their molecular structure until they are as durable as the very pavement they hide within, if not stronger!

From the outside, the road appears unmarred, with no visual difference between the frogs and the roads. When they are ready to move on, they simply climb out of the burrow they have created, and hop away — leaving a pothole behind. The migration patterns of pavement rain frogs are believed to cause 60% of all potholes in the continental United States — and that's why we called him Pothole!

History!

Pothole was first discovered in late fall 2024, when critter handler Alex Molina concluded his shift for the day. On October 23rd, Alex made the following phone call to Faeowynn Wilson:

Alex: Hey honeybee!

Faeowynn: I'm about to run into a meeting, what's up?

Alex: Can I borrow your car?

Faeowynn: What? What's wrong with your car?

Alex: …it's not driving right now.

Faeowynn: What do you mean 'not driving'?

Alex: I— I don't know what to say, the tire popped, I think the axle is bent and it won't move.

Faeowynn: Are you okay, Alex? Were you in a wreck, or—

Alex: No, I'm okay. I wasn't in a crash.

Faeowynn: So? How did that happen?

Alex: It's nothing. I just… I hit a pothole.

Faeowynn: Some pothole, huh? Where was that?

Alex:

Faeowynn: Honeybee. You know you can't lie to me.

Alex: I'm not going to lie I just… I feel stupid.

Faeowynn: I hit potholes all the time. It's okay, honey, I won't judge you. Where's your car?

Alex: …Parking Lot C.

Faeowynn: Like… like Parking Lot C here? Like just outside?

Faeowynn can be heard moving.

Faeowynn: I can see you from the window — you're barely out of the parking spot. Didn't you see it when you pulled in?

Alex: That's the thing! It was fine, there were no potholes! And suddenly, as soon as work was over, there it was. A three foot pit, right behind my rear tire.

Faeowynn: Are you sure?

Alex: I'm sure.

Faeowynn: Wait — what's behind you?

Pothole: Mrrrp?

Special Needs and Accommodations!

Since his discovery, figuring out what to do with Pothole has been a challenge — his natural habitat is urban environments, but it felt too risky to let him have full rein of the parking lot, especially with his penchant for chaos. As a middle ground, we have built a custom enclosure within Parking Lot C, where Pothole is free to dig into the asphalt, without the risk of being hit by a car. He loves being at the front of the zoo, welcoming new guests and chirping along as the seasons change.

Pothole is fed regularly throughout the day with a mixed diet of insects by parking attendants monitoring the lot. While Pothole is allowed small amounts of gravel or sediment on special occasions, under no circumstances is Pothole to be allowed to free-feed on asphalt or pavement. If given the chance, he will gorge himself, and you will have to clean up the mess he leaves behind. It doesn't harm him, but he will throw such a fit for weeks that it's simply not worth the trouble it causes.

If Pothole escapes, we recommend checking behind Alex Molina's vehicle — like we said, Pothole likes to cause trouble, and he definitely has his favorites.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License