Saturday 23 November 2013

Darwin's Frogs Going Extinct from Deadly Fungal Infection

Scientists believe Darwin's frogs have gone extinct due to habitat loss and a deadly amphibian disease known as chytridiomycosis. Researchers from Chile's Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB) and the Zoological Society of London report the loss of Darwin's frogs as one of only a few examples of "extinction by infection."
Darwin's frogs, named by Charles Darwin when he described the species in 1834 on an island just off Chile's west coast, are endemic to Chile and Argentina. The pointy nosed amphibians look like overstuffed leaves. Male Darwin's frogs have been observed scooping their own tadpoles up in their mouths and keeping as many as three inside their vocal sacs until the tadpoles mature into frogs.

Darwin's Frogs Going Extinct from Deadly Fungal Infection : Animals : Nature World News

No comments: