Make sure to download the newest edition of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species Bulletin. You can download the PDF file here. The whole issue is dedicated to amphibians and the global amphibian crisis. Many of the articles in the bulletin were written by folks from AZA institutions.

photo: John M. Adamski

Researchers have proposed to describe priority regions for amphibian conservation in Latin America. The study was published in PLoS ONE this week. What is different about this study is that it prioritizes regions for conservation and also considers the biological traits of the species there. For instance, the species were separated into two major groups, those that have an aquatic larval stage and those that don’t. The researchers believe that the developmental stages of amphibians need to be considered in order for conservation measures to be successful.

Amphibians are master predators. Just take a look at this Tomato Frog (Dyscophus guineti) grab these crickets! What would we do without these animals taking care of insects for us? Amphibians are part of a chain that keep everything balanced and in check. Here you can see that amazingly long and sticky tongue grab the cricket. Also, if you notice, the eyes close as the frog swallows it’s prey. Some evidence suggests that the large bulging eyes of some frogs actually aid in pushing food items down the throat from the inside of the mouth. The frog is at no risk of injury to it’s eyes from the prey item either. This is not true for all frogs, the African clawed frog comes to mind.