IT’S THE BIGGEST EXTINCTION CRISIS THAT THE EARTH HAS FACED
SINCE THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DINOSAURS!

ONE-THIRD TO ONE-HALF OF THE WORLD’S APPROXIMATELY 6,000 KNOWN
AMPHIBIAN SPECIES COULD DISAPPEAR IN OUR LIFETIME!

Frogs Matter... Jump In!

“Year of the Frog” says who? The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has declared 2008 “Year of the Frog”, not to compete with the Chinese calendar but to raise awareness of the extinction crisis that amphibians throughout the world are facing. AZA, joined with amphibian specialists groups who study Zoos and Aquariums, has issued an amphibian alert because populations of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians are drastically diminishing. The number one reason is habitat loss, but also to blame are pollution, pesticides, over-hunting, invasive species, climate change and disease.

Areas are becoming infected with a parasitic fungal disease called amphibian Chytridiomycosis (chytrid) which was carried by the African clawed frog. Since the 1930’s this frog has been shipped around the world by the thousands for use in pregnancy tests and laboratory studies. This devastating disease has spread worldwide and can wipe out 80% of the native amphibians within just months.

Frogs and other amphibians are some of the best known health indicators for ecosystems. It is an alarming signal to us that environments are in serious trouble when large numbers of diseased or malformed amphibians are seen and total populations and species are becoming extinct.

The IUCN (The World Conservation Union) states that at least one-third of the known amphibian species in the world are threatened. Four species in the U.S. are critically endangered, the Mississippi gopher toad, the Chiricahua leopard frog, the mountain yellow-legged frog, and the Wyoming toad. Thirty-seven species have been listed under the Endangered Species Act by USFWS.

Endangered species are in our own backyards. Visit the new amphibian display being developed in Education Building B to learn more about them. Also, watch for upcoming activities (Party for the Planet – April 19th and Wild Side of the Arts – May 3rd) that will highlight “Year of the Frog”.