Several frog species are critically endangered OR presumed extinct – they gave NOT been spotted in the wild for years / decades despite surveys.
One key reason is – disease: ‘
Faded out: What environments did Australian frog populations disappear from due to disease?
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By looking at historical and recent frog records across Australia, including from FrogID, we reveal how Australian frog distributions have changed in response to the introduction of a deadly pathogen.
Globally, biodiversity is in trouble, with hundreds of species already extinct and others threatened with extinction. Disappearance can be swift for many species – but for others, it’s a gradual process where they disappear from parts of their range and persist in smaller, fragmented patches of habitat. For conservation purposes, it’s important to understand not just the geographic location of lost populations, but also whether species disappear from particular environments, such as cooler or wetter places. Although this is much harder to figure out, it is vital to understand, because if a species no longer persists in much of its former environmental space (or niche), it may be more susceptible than we think to other threats.
More info: Frogs in. trouble due to disease
The State of Queensland in Australia has several ‘claims to fame’ some far less than flattering…..
Queensland, for example, hosts the highest number of extinct and critically endangered frog species in Australia.
Amongst these frogs are five of the six species of Tinkerfrog, genus Taudactylus. The Tinkerfrogs are a group of small, cryptic and rarely seen frogs that live in mountain stream environments in eastern Queensland.
The Kroombit Tinkerfrog is a critically endangered species restricted to a handful of narrow rainforest gullies within Kroombit Tops National Park, Central Queensland. Kroombit Tinkerfrog populations are affected by habitat degradation caused by introduced pest species and bush fires, however the amphibian chytrid fungus is likely to be the most significant factor in the decline of this species.
The Kroombit Tinkerfrog recovery program was established to prevent the extinction of this species in the wild.
Further info: Currumbin Sanctuary
