Latest Frog Stories

A U.S. study of amphibians suggests diversity itself might lower the chances of developing parasitic infections. The University of Colorado at Boulder study showed American toads who lived with gray tree frogs reduced their chances of parasitic infections known to cause limb malformations. Researchers say their findings have strong implications for the benefits of biodiversity on emerging wildlife diseases. The scientists said their experiments showed when toad tadpoles were raised in...

Scientists at the University of Idaho currently are involved in a CSI-like investigation of a killer known to have been running rampant for the past decade. But the killer's name can't be found on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Instead, it's on the minds of ecologists on every continent in the world.Its name is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). It is a "chytrid" fungus that lives on keratin, a type of protein found in the skin of amphibians, and is particularly deadly for certain...

A U.S. study suggests the common insecticide malathion can decimate tadpole populations, killing them indirectly at doses too small to kill them directly. University of Pittsburgh researchers wanted to determine the environmental impact of the use of malathion -- the most popular insecticide in the United States. The scientists discovered gradual amounts of malathion that were too small to directly kill developing leopard frog tadpoles instead sparked a biological chain of events that...

By Lisa M Krieger The scrappy little mosquitofish, the pit bull of ichthyology and the region's leading defense against West Nile virus, is a savior to insect-infested waters. Unless you're a frog. Yes, the fish dines on larval mosquitoes, as intended. But scientists have learned it also has an appetite for the tadpoles of frogs, toads and other amphibians -- including the threatened red- legged frog and the endangered Santa Cruz long-toed salamander. "Frog populations have disappeared...

Insecticide malathion initiates chain reaction that deprives tadpoles of food source, indirectly killing them at doses too small to kill them directlyThe latest findings of a University of Pittsburgh-based project to determine the environmental impact of routine pesticide use suggests that malathion"”the most popular insecticide in the United States"”can decimate tadpole populations by altering their food chain, according to research published in the Oct. 1 edition of Ecological...

By Lisa M Krieger Mercury News The scrappy little mosquitofish, the pit bull of ichthyology and the region's leading defense against West Nile virus, is a savior to insect-infested waters. Unless you're a frog. Yes, the fish dines on larval mosquitoes, as intended. But scientists have learned it also has an appetite for the tadpoles of frogs, toads and other amphibians -- including the threatened red- legged frog and the endangered Santa Cruz long-toed salamander. "Frog populations have...

A groundbreaking new study into the mating and nesting practices of a common Australian frog has found they partner up to eight males sequentially "“ the highest recorded of any vertebrate.Dr Phillip Byrne, from Monash University's School of Biological Sciences, has researched the frog species Bibron's toadlet (Pseudophryne bibronii) for six years and in this latest field trip, discovered a new behavior undetected in a frog species until now."Our study revealed that females made the...

By Julia Scott Land designated as critical habitat for the survival of the threatened red-legged frog in San Mateo County would increase tenfold under a new proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and could affect property owners. Biologists have designated 131,091 acres of land in the county, mostly on existing protected open space, as critical habitat for the frog's survival -- a dramatic increase from the 13,000 acres deemed critical by the same biologists in 2006. The Fish and...

Scientists from Manchester University and Chester Zoo have ventured into Costa Rica with hopes of finding some of the world's most endangered frogs. Their journey will take them deep into the forests of Monteverde where they will be on the lookout for the rare amphibians, including the golden toad, last seen about 20 years ago. "Costa Rica's highlands used to be major biodiversity hotspots - but in many areas, amphibian populations have been completely decimated," said team leader Andrew...

Devastating declines of amphibian species around the world are a sign of a biodiversity disaster larger than just frogs, salamanders and their ilk, according to researchers from the University of California, Berkeley.In an article published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers argue that substantial die-offs of amphibians and other plant and animal species add up to a new mass extinction facing the planet."There's no question...