What Are Amphibians Trying To Tell Us?
By Mark Wanner, Zoological Manager, Reptiles & Amphibians So, what do you think killed the dinosaurs? That topic has stirred theories and debates for generations, and no one will ever know the real answer. However, it’s very possible that people in the future will also be asking, “So, what do think killed the amphibians?” Today, the Earth is potentially facing the single largest mass vertebrate extinction in the history of our planet, comparable only to the disappearance of dinosaurs. Amphibian species are vanishing at an alarming rate — studies estimate that 122 species of amphibians have probably gone extinct since 1980, while an additional 435 species have declined into a category of greater threat (Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, CBSG). In Panama, whole species and even whole assemblages of amphibians are going extinct in the blink of an eye. Ironically though, the net number of amphibian species is actually increasing! The recent discovery of twenty new species of frogs i
