Latest Amphibian Stories
Researchers unravel complexity of the major histocompatibility complex in tailed amphibiansMajor Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes produce proteins that are crucial in fighting pathogen assault. Researchers from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) characterized genetic variation and detected more than one MHC class II locus in a tailed amphibian. Unlike mammals, not much has been known until now about the immune defense of...
A frog-like creature with a stubby tail once paddled through a quiet pond in what is now Texas, snapping up mayflies while keeping an ear out for bellowing mates, new fossil evidence suggests. That was about 290 million years ago. In 1995, the amphibian specimen was discovered in fish quarry sediments in Baylor County, Texas, though it wasn't until recently that paleontologists inspected and described the new species. Called Gerobatrachus hottoni after its discoverer...
When our distant ancestors were making their way out from the water, they had to evolve a way to lay their eggs on land. Now a tree frog could help shed light on this mysterious, pivotal moment in history. This little yellow Panamanian amphibian is the first known vertebrate that can lay its eggs both in water and on land. The researchers looked at the hourglass treefrog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus), which is also known as the pantless treefrog because part of its leg lacks...
Researchers have confirmed the first case of complete lunglessness in a frog, according to a report in the April 8th issue of Current Biology, a publication of Cell Press. The aquatic frog Barbourula kalimantanensis apparently gets all the oxygen it needs through its skin.Previously known from only two specimens, two new populations of the aquatic frog were found by the team during a recent expedition to Indonesian Borneo. "We knew that we would have to be very lucky just to find the frog,"...
MU study suggests long-term environmental implications for timber industry, conservation   The number of amphibians drastically decreases in forest areas that are clearcut, according to previous studies. A University of Missouri researcher, however, has found that some animals may not be dying. Instead, the biologist said some animals may be moving away (possibly to return later) or retreating underground. The finding could have major implications for both the timber industry and...
Blind salamanders, legless amphibians with tentacles on their heads and ghost frogs whose favorite haunt is a human burial ground are just a few of the world's weirdest and most endangered creatures. The Zoological Society of London announced this week these are among the 10 most unusual and threatened amphibian species, as part of the EDGE Amphibians conservation and fundraising initiative. Amphibians that made the list are deemed by the society to be the most...
ST. LOUIS -- Kermit the Frog might be recruited, along with governments, corporations, and philanthropists, to help in a worldwide effort to stem the deaths of frog populations around the world.Next week, leaders of the world's zoos and aquariums meeting in Budapest, Hungary, will discuss the logistics of the frog-saving effort, dubbed Amphibian Ark.Members of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums will discuss who's going to take which species for safekeeping and breeding.The plan calls...
By DORIE TURNER ATLANTA - Ponds and swamps are becoming eerily silent. The familiar melody of ribbits, croaks and chirps is disappearing as a mysterious killer fungus wipes out frog populations around the globe, a phenomenon likened to the extinction of dinosaurs. Scientists from around the world are meeting Thursday and Friday in Atlanta to organize a worldwide effort to stem the deaths by asking zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens to take in threatened frogs until the fungus can be...
U.S. scientists have discovered several species of amphibians use defense mechanisms to protect themselves against deadly water molds. Boston University scientists Ivan Gomez-Mestre, a research associate, and Professor Karen Warkentin used both field observations and laboratory experiments to describe the various methods used by the spotted salamander, wood frog, and American toad to help avoid and survive water mold infections. Certain water molds cause substantial mortality for aquatic...
Latest Amphibian Reference Libraries
The Iberian midwife toad is found around the Iberian Peninsula in southern and eastern Portugal, and also in western and central Spain. The elevation range of this species is between 300 - 4,265 feet, but it is typically found around 2,000 feet. The Iberian midwife toad prefers dry habitats in meadows and open forests with sandy soil that grow vegetation adapted for dry regions. However, this toad relies on streams and pools for the development of the tadpoles. The Iberian midwife toad is...
Herpetology concerns the study of amphibians, which include frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and gymnophiona (which resemble earthworms and some snakes). Herpetology also concerns the study of reptiles, including snakes, lizards, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians and tuataras. Batrachology, a subdiscipline of herpetology, deals with the study of amphibians alone. Herpetology comes from the Greek words herpeton (meaning “creeping animal”) and logia (meaning “sayings”)....
The Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris), also known as the Common Newt, is the most common newt species in the Triturus genus of amphibians. It is found throughout Europe except the far north, areas of Southern France, and the Iberian peninsula. In Europe, newts are protected and it is illegal to sell, trade, kill or destroy them. While the smooth newt is not endangered, there is insufficient data to make an assessment for two of the subspecies. In the British Isles it is only illegal to sell...
