Posts Tagged ‘Search for the Lost Frogs’
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Why Should We Care About Haiti’s Frogs?
“Why bother with Haiti? There’s nothing left.” That was the question often posed to CI’s Amphibian Conservation Officer Robin Moore when he recently set out to search for frogs in the country’s fragmented forests. In the wake of last year’s earthquake, whose effects continue to plague the country’s people, the relative resilience of certain amphibian species reveals that it’s not too late to take action to protect Haiti’s remaining forests — critical for preventing erosion and providing fresh water and other services to Haiti’s people. Check out this short video to see Robin Moore in action in Haiti — and learn more ... -
Lost Frogs Update: Three New Species Discovered in Colombia
[caption id="attachment_4381" align="aligncenter" width="576" caption="New species of rocket frog (genus Silverstoneia)."][/caption] Today CI announced exciting news from our “Search for the Lost Frogs” campaign — the discovery of three amphibian species new to science on an expedition in western Colombia. Dr. Robin Moore describes his team’s experience finding a species that has never before been documented. Our dirty, scratched and sore fingers told the story — we had spent two days sifting leaf litter on steep slopes in Antioquia, Colombia with the image of a small, pointed-nosed toad seared in our minds. The focus of our quest, the elusive Mesopotamia beaked toad ... -
Lost Amphibians of India: New Campaign Launches in Delhi
[caption id="attachment_4326" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Tea plantations in the Western Ghats, India. "][/caption] Several months after Conservation International (CI) launched our “Search for the Lost Frogs,” I’m excited to see that the momentum to find and protect the world’s rarest and most threatened amphibians continues to build. I am writing from Delhi, where I am honored to be presenting at today’s inauguration of the "Lost Amphibians of India" campaign. The Western Ghats region of southwestern India is known to be one of the world’s important hotspots of biodiversity; the wet mountain slopes provide especially ideal habitat for amphibians. However, these forests are increasingly ... -
Lost Frogs Update: Caecilians, the “Snaky Frogs” of India
[caption id="attachment_3915" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A caecilian (Ichthyophis sp.) found on the search. "][/caption] Ramachandran Kotharambath is leading the search for the long-headed caecilian (Ichthyophis longicephalus)—an unusual kind of amphibian last seen in India’s Western Ghats in 1979. This is the latest report from field researchers participating in CI’s Search for the Lost Frogs campaign; read previous blog posts here. Eventually our hunt for the long-headed caecilian (Ichthyophis longicephalus) will take us to the forest locality where it was originally discovered in 1979—still its only verified sighting. However, first we are off on a three-day trip to another more developed locality in Kerala ... -
Lost Frogs Update: Rediscovering a Salamander in a Mexican Cave
[caption id="attachment_3756" align="alignright" width="322" caption="Cave splayfoot salamander (Chiropterotriton mosaueri). "][/caption] This week, CI announced the rediscovery of three amphibian species not seen for decades. Below, herpetologist Sean Rovito describes his experience finding a Mexican salamander species not seen in 69 years. I began by talking to the people of Durango, Hidalgo, near the only known locality of the cave splayfoot salamander (Chiropterotriton mosaueri). I knew that no one had seen the salamander since its discovery in 1941, and that the location of the cave it had come from was not known precisely, so my expectations were quite low. After asking several people in ... -
Lost Frogs Update: Landslides in the Venezuelan Andes
[caption id="attachment_3691" align="alignleft" width="217" caption="Enrique La Marca with newly-discovered scarlet frogs in 1982. "][/caption] Dr. Enrique La Marca is a professor at the University of the Andes in Mérida, Venezuela. This is the latest report from field researchers participating in CI’s Search for the Lost Frogs campaign. Read our previous blog posts here. It has been 28 years since my team discovered the elusive scarlet frog (Atelopus sorianoi) in the Venezuelan Andes; eight years later, it was gone. It is difficult to overcome the discouragement of not seeing this wonder of the tropical montane humid forests anymore. In the course of those early ... -
Lost Frogs Update: Snakes on a Golf Course in Malaysia
This is the latest report from field researchers participating in CI’s Search for the Lost Frogs campaign. Read our previous blog posts here. We’re getting set for the evening, and praying there’s no rain. We collected some stream toad (Ansonia sp.) tadpoles last night – not yet sure which species. The tiny stream toad (A. minuta), Matang stream toad (A. leptopus) and Kina Balu stream toad (A. spinulifer) are all known from this mountain, in addition to the Holy Grail, the Sambas stream toad (A. latidisca). I have realized also that there’s nothing better than a well-maintained golf course for finding ... -
Lost Frogs Update: Late Night Searches in Malaysia
This is the latest field report from the researchers participating in CI’s Search for the Lost Frogs campaign. Read our previous blog posts here. Back at the chalet...there is a great concentration of frogs in the streams here. Saw 10 amphibian species, plus five lizards and two snakes – but no Sambas stream toad (Ansonia latidisca) yet! However, as consolation we did record a calling tiny stream toad (Ansonia minuta). I think the Sambas stream toad’s habitat may need faster-moving water, perhaps with large algae-covered boulders, as its morphology and colouration suggest. With me is my grad student, Pui Yong Min. ... -
Lost Frogs Update: Local Language Lesson in Cameroon
[caption id="attachment_3649" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Close relative (Afrixalus sp.) of "lost frog" in Douala. "][/caption] This is the latest report from field researchers participating in CI’s Search for the Lost Frogs campaign. Read our previous blog posts here. Upon arriving in Douala from Yaoundé, our research team for Schneider’s banana frog (Afrixalus schneideri) paid a visit to Prince Douala Manga Bell. At about 84 years old, he is the king of the Canton Bell in Douala and the grandson of King Bell who died in 1914 during the German colonial period. He helped to clarify the name of the location where the ... -
Kihansi spray toad gets second chance
[caption id="attachment_3451" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Kihansi Gorge, Tanzania - historic home of the Kihansi spray toad and site of the planned reintroduction project. "][/caption] Being immersed in CI’s “Search for the Lost Frogs” campaign, I was excited to read another piece of amphibian news this week from the Wildlife Conservation Society: 100 captive-bred Kihansi spray toads (Nectophrynoides asperginis) could help bring the species back from the brink of extinction in its native African habitat. The toads, which were bred at the Bronx Zoo and the Toledo Zoo, were recently flown to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital, where they will be held ...
