Photo Memorial - The World's "Top Ten Lost Frogs" - Mongabay

[hatrack]

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation International (CI) have sent teams of researchers to 14 countries on five continents to search for the world's lost frogs. These are amphibian species that have not been seen for years—in some cases even up to a century—but may still survive in the wild.

Amphibians worldwide are currently undergoing an extinction crisis. While amphibians struggle to survive against habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and overexploitation, they are also being wiped out by a fungal disease known as chytridiomycosis. Currently experts estimate that 30 percent of the world's amphibians are threatened with extinction, and that well over a hundred species have vanished in the last three decades alone.

As a part of the search for lost frogs, experts have released a Top Ten list of frogs they hope most to find.

"While it’s very challenging to rate the importance of one species against another we have created this top 10 list because we feel that these particular animals have a particular scientific or aesthetic value," says CI's Dr. Robin Moore, who has helped organize the search.


Number one. Arguably the most known of the lost amphibians researchers are seeking. Once native to Costa Rica, the golden toad (Incilius periglenes) went from abundant to extinct in just over one year. The frog was last recorded in 1989. Debate continues as to the reasons behind its vanishment including climate change and possibly chytridiomycosis. Photo courtesy of CI.


Number two. Two species of gastric brooding frog have not been seen in Australia since the mid-1980s. These frogs are of interest to researchers given their truly weird style of reproduction: females swallowed eggs and raised their tadpoles in their stomachs. When the frogs were ready to emerge they popped out of the mouth. Photo by: John Wombey provided by ARKive.


Number four. Not seen for 35 years, Jackson's climbing salamander (Bolitoglossa jacksoni) will be searched for in Guatemala. Photo by: Dave Wake.

More at:

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0809-hance_lostfrogs_topten.html

[Ernesto]

1. Here's a frog for ya

http://imaweird.tumblr.com/post/966775238/saddest-photo-evar