Fricken

* Common
* Poison Dart

## Reference

**Frickens** are a type of cryptid that appear in the Alice and Thomas shorts as well as Half-Off Ragnarok. Their common name was bestowed by Frances Healy as a portmanteau of "frog-chicken." They are referred to as "anuraves" (literally frog-bird) in other cryptozoological communities.

There are numerous species and they can be found worldwide, although they are becoming rarer in recent years.

## Types of Fricken

* **Bull fricken.** Large enough to prey on rats. Likely resembles the bullfrog.
* **European fricken**  *(Aves anura croax).* Believed extinct. Scientific name likely refers to their distinctive croaking sound.
* **North American swamp fricken** *(Aves anura helobious)*. Commonly found in Michigan and Ohio. Scientific name means "living in marshy places."
* **Poison arrow fricken.** Raise their young in pools of water trapped in high trees.
* **Poison dart fricken** *(Mefitas iris).* Native to rainforests.
	+ The poison dart fricken’s classification splits from the common fricken at the family level:
		- Family: Dendrobatidae
		- Genus: *Mefitas* (Mefititis, goddess of foul-smelling gasses)
		- Species: *Mefitas iris*

## About

There are many subspecies of fricken found all over the world. Each species has distinctive coloring and behavior patterns.

Frickens have similar biology to frogs, including their tadpole and metamorphosis stages. Fricken tadpoles are born with downy fluff that matures into feathers during their development.

Their bones are hollow. While adult frickens cannot fly, they are able to glide for short distances much like the flying squirrel. They are more frost-resistant than regular frogs.

They make a distinctive chirping sound, but will go quiet when they sense danger.

They nest in trees overlooking water so that when their eggs hatch, the tadpoles can be dropped into the waiting water. Male frickens will follow their young into the water and act as shelter for the tadpoles. Females, meanwhile, will harass predators to keep their mates and young safe in the manner of crows harrying hawks.

## In the Series

* The name "fricken" was coined by Frances Healy in 1928. Upon seeing her first Anuraves, she snorted and said, "You people complicate everything, don't you? It's a frog with feathers. It's a damn fricken."
* The Healys, especially Fran and Alice, use the frickens as a sign of danger, remembering with the rhyme “When the frickens sing, then all is clear; when the singing stops, there’s danger near.” Unfortunately, this was not enough to save Fran, as whatever killed her did not make the frickens stop singing.
* Aeslin Mice use fricken down as insulation for their dwellings.
* Members of the Thirty-Nine Society such as Shelby Tanner still refer to them as Anuraves in the present day.

## Trivia

* The scientific name of the poison dart fricken, *Mefitas iris,* may be named after the Greek goddess of rainbows; a blue-violet color; or a flower with showy blue-violet blooms, among other uses.
* Although categorized as a venomous species in this wiki, it should be noted that the poison dart frickens are *poisonous*, not venomous.

## References

1. ↑ Audiobooks narrated by Ray Porter
2. ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/helobious
3. ↑ No Place Like Home
4. ↑ Halfway Through the Wood Ch. 18
5. ↑ To Build a Better...
6. ↑ Half-Off Ragnarok Ch. ?
7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris