Amphibians on the EDGE – Some the world’s weirdest creatures in urgent need of conservation.
25/01/2008 16:39:29A gigantic, ancient relative of the newt, a drawing-pin sized frog, a limbless, tentacled amphibian and a blind see-through salamander have all made it onto a list of the world’s weirdest and most endangered creatures.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL)’s EDGE programme has launched the EDGE Amphibians conservation and fundraising initiative, which highlights some of the world’s most extraordinary creatures currently threatened with extinction. ZSL scientists have assessed all amphibian species according to how Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) they are.
‘The EDGE amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention and will become extinct if action is not taken now.’ Helen Meredith, EDGE Amphibians coordinator, commented. ‘These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation’
‘The EDGE amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention and will become extinct if action is not taken now.’ Helen Meredith, EDGE Amphibians coordinator, commented. ‘These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation’
ZSL has identified and is starting work to protect ten of the most unusual and threatened EDGE amphibian species this year, including:
1) Chinese giant salamander (salamander that can grow up to 1.8m in length and evolved independently from all other amphibians over one hundred million years before Tyrannosaurus rex)
2) Sagalla caecilian (limbless amphibian with sensory tentacles on the sides of its head)
3) Purple frog (purple-pigmented frog that was only discovered in 2003 because it spends most of the year buried up to 4m underground)
4) Ghost frogs of South Africa (one species is found only in the traditional human burial grounds of Skeleton Gorge in Table Mountain, South Africa)
5) Olm (blind salamander with transparent skin that lives underground, hunts for its prey by smell and electrosensitivity and can survive without food for 10 years)
6) Lungless salamanders of Mexico (highly endangered salamanders that do not have lungs but instead breathe through their skin and mouth lining)
7) Malagasy rainbow frog (highly-decorated frog that inflates itself when under threat and can climb vertical rock surfaces)
8) Chile Darwin’s frog (a frog where fathers protect the young in their mouths, this species has not been officially seen since around 1980 and may now be extinct)
9) Betic midwife toad (toads that evolved from all others over 150million years ago – the males carry the fertilised eggs wrapped around their hind legs)
10) Gardiner’s Seychelles frog (perhaps the world’s smallest frog, with adults growing up to just 11mm in length – the size of a drawing pin)
1) Chinese giant salamander (salamander that can grow up to 1.8m in length and evolved independently from all other amphibians over one hundred million years before Tyrannosaurus rex)
2) Sagalla caecilian (limbless amphibian with sensory tentacles on the sides of its head)
3) Purple frog (purple-pigmented frog that was only discovered in 2003 because it spends most of the year buried up to 4m underground)
4) Ghost frogs of South Africa (one species is found only in the traditional human burial grounds of Skeleton Gorge in Table Mountain, South Africa)
5) Olm (blind salamander with transparent skin that lives underground, hunts for its prey by smell and electrosensitivity and can survive without food for 10 years)
6) Lungless salamanders of Mexico (highly endangered salamanders that do not have lungs but instead breathe through their skin and mouth lining)
7) Malagasy rainbow frog (highly-decorated frog that inflates itself when under threat and can climb vertical rock surfaces)
8) Chile Darwin’s frog (a frog where fathers protect the young in their mouths, this species has not been officially seen since around 1980 and may now be extinct)
9) Betic midwife toad (toads that evolved from all others over 150million years ago – the males carry the fertilised eggs wrapped around their hind legs)
10) Gardiner’s Seychelles frog (perhaps the world’s smallest frog, with adults growing up to just 11mm in length – the size of a drawing pin)
30 Percent of Amphibians Threatened with Extinction
Dr Jonathan Baillie, Head of the EDGE programme, commented, ‘Tragically, amphibians tend to be the overlooked members of the animal kingdom, even though one in every three amphibian species is currently threatened with extinction, a far higher proportion than that of bird or mammal species. These species are the ‘canaries in the coalmine’ – they are highly sensitive to factors such as climate change and pollution, which lead to extinction, and are a stark warning of things to come. If we lose them, other species will inevitably follow. The EDGE programme strives to protect the world’s forgotten species and ensure that the weirdest species survive the current extinction crisis and astound future generations with their extraordinary uniqueness.’
Dr Jonathan Baillie, Head of the EDGE programme, commented, ‘Tragically, amphibians tend to be the overlooked members of the animal kingdom, even though one in every three amphibian species is currently threatened with extinction, a far higher proportion than that of bird or mammal species. These species are the ‘canaries in the coalmine’ – they are highly sensitive to factors such as climate change and pollution, which lead to extinction, and are a stark warning of things to come. If we lose them, other species will inevitably follow. The EDGE programme strives to protect the world’s forgotten species and ensure that the weirdest species survive the current extinction crisis and astound future generations with their extraordinary uniqueness.’
Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered
EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) animals are those with few close relatives and are highly distinct genetically. These animals are also extremely endangered and desperately in need of immediate action to save them from becoming extinct. By mathematically combining a measure of each species’ unique evolutionary history with its threat of extinction, the scientists are able to give species an EDGE value and rank them accordingly. In January 2007, the EDGE team assessed all mammal species and released the list of the top 100 EDGE mammal species. The scientists have now done the same for all amphibian species (frogs, salamanders and caecilians) and have found that 85 of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention.
Amphibians are declining as a result of a range threats including habitat destruction, pollution, climate change and disease. Scientists at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) are currently researching the diseases affecting amphibians, with particular focus on the chytrid fungus, which is implicated in mass mortality events globally.
EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) animals are those with few close relatives and are highly distinct genetically. These animals are also extremely endangered and desperately in need of immediate action to save them from becoming extinct. By mathematically combining a measure of each species’ unique evolutionary history with its threat of extinction, the scientists are able to give species an EDGE value and rank them accordingly. In January 2007, the EDGE team assessed all mammal species and released the list of the top 100 EDGE mammal species. The scientists have now done the same for all amphibian species (frogs, salamanders and caecilians) and have found that 85 of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention.
Amphibians are declining as a result of a range threats including habitat destruction, pollution, climate change and disease. Scientists at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) are currently researching the diseases affecting amphibians, with particular focus on the chytrid fungus, which is implicated in mass mortality events globally.
What is an Amphibian?
- Amphibians are the group of organisms that are four-legged, do not produce amniotic eggs, are ectothermic (their body temperature is regulated by the external environment) and usually spend part of their time on land. The living amphibians are made up of frogs (including toads), salamanders (including newts) and caecilians. There are approximately 6,200 different species of amphibian currently known, although there almost certainly many more as yet undiscovered species.
Amphibian Decline
Amphibian species have experienced dramatic declines over the past three decades, both in terms of population crashes and mass localised extinctions. Around 120 species are likely to have become extinct since the 1980s, including most famously the Golden toad of Monteverde, Costa Rica, which was last seen in 1989. These declines are predominantly attributed to habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, climate change and disease. Chytridiomycosis is a fatal infectious disease, caused by the chytrid fungus species Bactachochytrium dendrobatidis, which is particularly implicated.
Amphibian species have experienced dramatic declines over the past three decades, both in terms of population crashes and mass localised extinctions. Around 120 species are likely to have become extinct since the 1980s, including most famously the Golden toad of Monteverde, Costa Rica, which was last seen in 1989. These declines are predominantly attributed to habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, climate change and disease. Chytridiomycosis is a fatal infectious disease, caused by the chytrid fungus species Bactachochytrium dendrobatidis, which is particularly implicated.
The Zoological Society of London Work to Save Amphibians
ZSL is actively involved in amphibian conservation globally. ZSL is the lead institution managing the Mountain chicken frog conservation project in Dominica, which involves monitoring wild populations, screening for chytrid and establishing captive breeding populations both in Dominica and at ZSL London Zoo. In 2008, the amphibian collections at both ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos will be further developed. At ZSL Whipsnade Zoo biosecure captive breeding facilities for Mountain chicken frogs and other amphibians are being developed and at ZSL London Zoo amphibian collections and expertise are being developed.
ZSL’s scientific research arm, the Institute of Zoology, has been investigating amphibian diseases since the early 1990s. In particular, it has been involved in research into the emergence and spread of the ranavirus in the UK and chytrid in Europe, China and parts of Africa and the Americas. Additionally, it has investigated amphibian population genetics and other amphibian disease in Europe and works with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organisations to further expertise and inform policy.
2008 - Year of the Frog
2008 is the global Year of the frog, an awareness campaign organised by Amphibian Ark, a partnership between the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, and IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. The project aims to develop, promote, and guide short-term captive management of the most threatened amphibians, making possible the long-term survival of species for which adequate protection in the wild is not currently possible. ZSL is a key collaborator and participator in the Amphibian Ark projects and provides expertise and human resources to the partnership.
ZSL is actively involved in amphibian conservation globally. ZSL is the lead institution managing the Mountain chicken frog conservation project in Dominica, which involves monitoring wild populations, screening for chytrid and establishing captive breeding populations both in Dominica and at ZSL London Zoo. In 2008, the amphibian collections at both ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos will be further developed. At ZSL Whipsnade Zoo biosecure captive breeding facilities for Mountain chicken frogs and other amphibians are being developed and at ZSL London Zoo amphibian collections and expertise are being developed.
ZSL’s scientific research arm, the Institute of Zoology, has been investigating amphibian diseases since the early 1990s. In particular, it has been involved in research into the emergence and spread of the ranavirus in the UK and chytrid in Europe, China and parts of Africa and the Americas. Additionally, it has investigated amphibian population genetics and other amphibian disease in Europe and works with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organisations to further expertise and inform policy.
2008 - Year of the Frog
2008 is the global Year of the frog, an awareness campaign organised by Amphibian Ark, a partnership between the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, and IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. The project aims to develop, promote, and guide short-term captive management of the most threatened amphibians, making possible the long-term survival of species for which adequate protection in the wild is not currently possible. ZSL is a key collaborator and participator in the Amphibian Ark projects and provides expertise and human resources to the partnership.
