Focus on Amphibians
Amphibian populations are in decline in many areas of the world. In cities and in natural areas, in rainforests and in wetlands, countless areas which previously hosted a range of healthy amphibian populations now have fewer - or even no - frogs, toads, and salamanders. Although healthy populations of some species may exist elsewhere, in some cases, a few species - including Costa Rica's Monteverde golden toad and Australia's Gastric brooding frog - are now believed extinct.
How can you help?
Several amphibian conservation organizations and initiatives are working to stop amphibian declines.
Amphibian Facts
Frogs and toads, salamanders, and caecilians are members of the Class Amphibia. Of the world's seven continents, only Antarctica has no native amphibian species. The continental United States is home to at least 230 amphibian species: 90 frog and toad species, and 140 species of salamanders. In the U.S., declines in amphibian populations are particularly serious in California, the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and Puerto Rico. Worldwide, decline "hot spots" also include Australia and Central America. Amphibian malformations - extra limbs, malformed or missing limbs, and facial malformations - have been documented in 44 states, and involve nearly 60 species. In some local populations, up to 60% of the amphibians exhibit malformations.
Amphibians in the News
Smithsonian's National Zoo Sponsored Research Project Discovers 3 New Frogs in ... - Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News [
Thu Jul 29 09:40:02 EDT 2010 ]
Japanese giant salamanders are in a fishbowl of sorts, for research - CNN International [
Fri Jul 23 00:37:03 EDT 2010 ]
Monterey County Supervisors pass San Benancio Road measures [Fri Jul 30 10:31:18 EDT 2010 ]
A giant salamander in its tank at the Reptile Discovery Center at the National ... [Fri Jul 30 10:31:02 EDT 2010 ]
Common herbicide suspected in frog sex changes. [
Wed Jul 28 05:00:05 EDT 2010 ]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will present findings in September on the safety of atrazine, one of the most common herbicides used in the U.S. But studies show the chemical affects the sexual development of amphibians, raising concerns about its effect on people.
Smithsonian's National Zoo Sponsored Research Project Discovers 3 ... [Thu Jul 29 09:51:40 EDT 2010 ]
'Salamanders of the Southeast' slides onto local bookshelves [Wed Jul 28 10:46:19 EDT 2010 ]
Before and After: Deadly Fungus Wipes Out Amphibians - LiveScience.com [
Mon Jul 19 15:31:56 EDT 2010 ]
Frogs' decline tracked in before/after fungus survey - msnbc.com [
Mon Jul 19 18:09:38 EDT 2010 ]
Japanese giant salamanders are in a fishbowl of sorts, for research - CNN [
Thu Jul 22 18:06:20 EDT 2010 ]
Japan Gifts Giant Salamanders to US National Zoo - Our Amazing Planet [
Mon Jul 26 14:03:13 EDT 2010 ]
Frog Species Are Hopping Into Extinction Before They're Even Discovered - Discover Magazine (blog) [
Tue Jul 20 10:58:26 EDT 2010 ]
Panamanian Golden Frogs Video - Techie Buzz [
Tue Jul 20 15:47:46 EDT 2010 ]
Techie Buzz Panamanian Golden Frogs Video Techie Buzz ... the amphibian world, and are considered extinct in their native habitat due to the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus that has spread to their environment. ...
The fight to save a disappearing Colorado toad - Colorado Springs Gazette [
Tue Jul 20 18:38:16 EDT 2010 ]
Bellyflopping frogs shed light on evolution [
Sun Jul 25 20:00:00 EDT 2010 ]
Playing leapfrog would be tricky for the most primitive living frogs: those from the Leiopelmatidae family crash-land rather than touch down gracefully after leaping. The finding may reveal how frog jumping evolved.
Frog killer caught in the act: Measuring life's data loss in Panama by barcoding [
Mon Jul 26 00:00:00 EDT 2010 ]
The first before-and-after view of an amphibian die-off has just been published by scientists working at STRI
Japan Gifts Giant Salamanders to US National Zoo [Tue Jul 27 10:56:05 EDT 2010 ]
Warmer is better: Invasive cane toads set to thrive under global warming [
Fri Jul 02 11:00:00 EDT 2010 ]
As global warming threatens many animal species with extinction, the cane toad is set to flourish with increasing temperature. This is a major cause for concern as the cane toad, once introduced to Australia as agricultural pest-control of the cane beetle, is an already highly invasive species and considered a pest in Australia.
Frogs' decline seen in before/after fungus survey [
Mon Jul 19 18:06:00 EDT 2010 ]
A new study adds some numbers to a previously known deadly fungus that has been wiping out the world's amphibian populations.
Amphibian -
Biology -
Flora and Fauna -
Fungi -
Basidiomycota
Primitive frogs do a belly flop [
Wed Jul 21 10:02:43 EDT 2010 ]
Sometimes divers, to their own painful dismay, do belly flops. But did you ever see a frog belly flop? That's just what primitive living frogs do, according to a new study1 by Dr. Richard Essner, from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the US, and colleagues, looking at the evolution of frog jumping and landing. They found that frogs became proficient at jumping before they perfected landing. This evolutionary split, characterized by an inability to rapidly rotate the limbs forward during flight in order to land front legs first, might also explain why primitive frogs' back legs are out-of-phase with one another when they swim. Essner's work is published in Springer's journal Naturwissenschaften .
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