The Darwin’s frog, named after Charles Darwin, faces extinction after the introduction of the chytrid fungus to their habitat
More than 30 endangered froglets have been born at London Zoo after a dramatic 7,000-mile rescue mission saw their parents extracted from their fungus-threatened native habitat.
The Darwin’s frog, named after Charles Darwin, faces extinction after the introduction of the chytrid fungus to their habitat.
In 2023, surveys confirmed the deadly fungus had arrived in the remote Parque Tantauco forests in southern Chile – leading to a catastrophic 90% decline in monitored populations within a year.
While conservationists work out how to make their forest home safe, the survival of the Darwin’s frog could depend on safe refuges like the one London Zoo has provided.
This news, sad as it is, does not come as much of a surprise as amphibians have been for some time declining at rates only equalled by events of mass extinction such as the case of the dinosaurs. But this frog discovered in 1834 by Charles Darwin has been declared extinct, after populations were completely extirpated in Chile and Argentina. There has been a couple of different proposed explanations for this, most commonly being climate change, but scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB), Chile, have stated that they believe it was due to the deadly amphibian fungal disease Chytridiomycosis.
Habitat destruction was posing a great threat to this species in Chile and Argentina, however researchers believe we cannot assign blame solely to this factor. Chytrid was found in both populations of this animal and even in areas of undisturbed environment. Of tested specimens, the number of those infected with this disease has risen by over 10% since the 1970's.
The issue of chytridiomycosis and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, has recently been of particular interest to me due to its success in wiping out amphibians worldwide, and I really hope that we can get to the bottom of understanding this disease and how to control it. This needs to be done before we are completely deprived of any amphibious life anywhere on the planet. I am currently writing a report on amphibian decline, focussing on chytrid and am hoping to have it finished before christmas, if anyone is interested in reading it.
There has been a lot of divided opinion on chytrid though, where some people like myself believe it is a prolific amphibian killer, other people have the opinion that it is more due to environmental factors. I would be interested to know what you all think. Let me know. It is vital that all factors are considered when analysing a species decline, and all are to blame in some ways, there is just something about this disease that is causing such an epidemic.
More Problems for Frogs
There has also been a fair few findings of large numbers of deformed frogs in the US, and so much so that there have been deformity 'hot spots' named. In small areas of places like Alaska and Minnesota, there have been collections of malformed frogs in ponds with issues such like misshapen limbs, to missing limbs or eyes, or even with extra of both. Studies have been undertaken in order to establish a cause for this phenomenon. However, a clear cause has not yet been named. Some of the possibilities that have been examined include; parasites, UVB radiation, predation (loss of limbs from predator attacks my have resulted in regeneration of malformed limbs) or toxic chemicals form agriculture, waste and landfills. However, chemicals were thought to probably not be the main cause due to the fact that the studies were focussed on wildlife in environmentally protected areas. It seems there is always something badly affected these animals, they can't seem to catch break. It is worrying, and the possibility of all amphibians being wiped out in the future is beaching increasingly high.
Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) is a rhinodermatid frog native to the forest streams of Chile and Argentina. It is named after Charles Darwin who discovered it in Chile during his world voyage on the HMS Beagle. The most striking feature is the way the tadpoles are raised—inside the vocal sac of the male.
