For Leap Day, 35 pictures of frogs

Leap Day only happens every four years but when the next one comes around, the planet may have lost a few more frog species: amphibians are the most endangered group of animals on the planet.

Amphibians are facing myriad threats: climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species, emerging infection disease, and pollution, among others. According to the IUCN, roughly one-third of assessed amphibian species are classified as globally threatened or extinct. 42 percent of amphibian species are in decline.

The global loss of amphibians has implications beyond silent nights: frogs are important predators of insects in many ecosystems, play an significant role in nutrient cycling, and have served as a source of compounds used to treat human illnesses. Beyond that, some scientists argue that frogs’ sensitivity to environmental change makes them harbingers of what’s to come.

Below are a set of frog pictures to remind us of what we’re losing. Most of these frogs were photographed in the wild over the past decade.

Oophaga pumilio

Article published by Rhett Butler

Amphibians, Biodiversity, Chytridiomycosis, Commentary, Editorials, Frogs, Herps, Photos, Rhett Butler, Wildlife

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