Ian
priscilla 1Hunt For The Lost Amphibian Species
September 8th 2010 03:53
In the past three decades, declines in populations of amphibians have occurred worldwide. Currently 32 percent of species are threatened, 43 percent are declining in population, and over 100 species have become extinct since 1980.
Declines have been particularly intense in the western United States, Central America, South America, eastern Australia and Fiji While human activities are causing a loss of much of the world’s biodiversity, amphibians appear to be suffering much greater effects than other species of organisms. Because amphibians generally have a two-staged life cycle consisting of both aquatic (larvae) and terrestrial (adult) phases, they are sensitive to both terrestrial and aquatic environmental effects. Because their skins are highly permeable, they may be more susceptible to toxins in the environment. Many scientists believe that amphibians serve as "canaries in a coal mine," and that declines in amphibian populations and species indicate that other groups of animals and plants will soon be at risk.
Declines in amphibian populations were first widely recognized in the late 1980s, when a large gathering of herpetologists reported noticing declines in populations in amphibians across the globe. Among these species, the Golden toad of Monteverde, Costa Rica featured prominently. The Golden Toad, Bufo periglenes, was the subject of scientific investigation until populations suddenly crashed in 1987 and disappeared completely by 1989. Other species at Monteverde, including the Monteverde Harlequin Frog (Atelopus varius), also disappeared at the same time. Because these species were located in the pristine Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, and these extinctions could not be related to local human activities, they raised particular concern among biologists.
As reported on this article by Wired Science, scientists in 14 countries on five continents are teaming up to hunt for as many as 100 species of amphibians that are thought to possibly be extinct, but may be surviving in remote corners.
Below are some of the most sought after species.
Read More Really Long Link
Costa Rica. Last seen 1989. Perhaps the most famous of the lost Amphibians. Went from abundant to extinct in a little over a year in the late 1980s.
Australia. Last seen 1985. They had unique mode of reproduction: Females swallowed eggs and raised tadpoles in the stomach. Gave birth to froglets through the mouth.
Last seen in 1975. Stunning black and yellow salamander – One of only two known specimens is believed to have been stolen from a Californian laboratory in the mid 1970s.
Colombia. Last seen 1914. Fascinating frog with a distinctive pyramid-shaped head.
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan. Last seen 1909. Known from only two specimens collected in 1909 somewhere between Pamir and Samarkand.
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Decline in amphibian populations
Declines have been particularly intense in the western United States, Central America, South America, eastern Australia and Fiji While human activities are causing a loss of much of the world’s biodiversity, amphibians appear to be suffering much greater effects than other species of organisms. Because amphibians generally have a two-staged life cycle consisting of both aquatic (larvae) and terrestrial (adult) phases, they are sensitive to both terrestrial and aquatic environmental effects. Because their skins are highly permeable, they may be more susceptible to toxins in the environment. Many scientists believe that amphibians serve as "canaries in a coal mine," and that declines in amphibian populations and species indicate that other groups of animals and plants will soon be at risk.
Declines in amphibian populations were first widely recognized in the late 1980s, when a large gathering of herpetologists reported noticing declines in populations in amphibians across the globe. Among these species, the Golden toad of Monteverde, Costa Rica featured prominently. The Golden Toad, Bufo periglenes, was the subject of scientific investigation until populations suddenly crashed in 1987 and disappeared completely by 1989. Other species at Monteverde, including the Monteverde Harlequin Frog (Atelopus varius), also disappeared at the same time. Because these species were located in the pristine Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, and these extinctions could not be related to local human activities, they raised particular concern among biologists.
As reported on this article by Wired Science, scientists in 14 countries on five continents are teaming up to hunt for as many as 100 species of amphibians that are thought to possibly be extinct, but may be surviving in remote corners.
Below are some of the most sought after species.
Read More Really Long Link
Golden Toad
Costa Rica. Last seen 1989. Perhaps the most famous of the lost Amphibians. Went from abundant to extinct in a little over a year in the late 1980s.
Gastric Brooding Frog
Australia. Last seen 1985. They had unique mode of reproduction: Females swallowed eggs and raised tadpoles in the stomach. Gave birth to froglets through the mouth.
Jackson’s Climbing Salamander
Last seen in 1975. Stunning black and yellow salamander – One of only two known specimens is believed to have been stolen from a Californian laboratory in the mid 1970s.
Mesopotamia Beaked Toad
Colombia. Last seen 1914. Fascinating frog with a distinctive pyramid-shaped head.
Turkestanian Salamander
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan. Last seen 1909. Known from only two specimens collected in 1909 somewhere between Pamir and Samarkand.
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Decline in amphibian populations
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