Amphibian Care

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Archives for 2008

Care on red-eyed tree frogs?

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tips please from owners

Im not that much of a noob on keeping reptiles and amphibians but i've never had red-eyes before

thanks

http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/amphibians/red-eye-tree-frog.php






2008: Year of the Frog Campaign

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Watch the High Definition version of this video at:

www.vimeo.com/merumontanus

Or watch here on Youtube and click on “watch in high quality” in the options below the video.

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Having been around for approximately 350 million years, amphibians have witnessed the dinosaurs come and go, and as a result of pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, over-exploitation for food and the pet trade, almost half of all amphibians are now themselves facing extinction.

Apart from natural and man-made environmental pressures, frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and caecilians are vanishing as a result of a fungus that is spreading rapidly among the world’s amphibian populations. It is believed that the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) originated in Africa, and has already spread throughout all continents except Asia and the poles.

Currently, more than 90 species are affected by the fungus– this, combined with other environmental factors mentioned above, are responsible for what may be the most devastating mass extinction of a class of animals since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 64 million years ago.

In the last two decades, we have lost over 120 species of amphibians, and we could lose more than half of the existing 6000 species in only ten years if the trend continues. This could have disastrous effects on the planet’s equilibrium as amphibians are a critical component of our world’s biodiversity.

Apart from providing us with vital biomedicines currently being refined for antibiotics and analgesics, amphibians are indicators of environmental health, acting as “canaries in a coal mine”– alerting us of dangerous changes in our environment.

For more information regarding the current state of amphibian populations, or to help manage the current extinction crisis, visit Amphibian Ark at amphibianark.org.

Jump in. Because frogs matter.

For more on the issue: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3743682.stm

Duration : 0:1:26

[Read more…]

Rare Amphibian Found in India

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WONG:
A rare amphibian has been found in eastern India. This is the first time that the reptile-like creature has been spotted for almost 150 years. Let’s take a look.
STORY:
Caecilians were last seen at Rangliot Valley in Sikkim in 1881. After almost 150 years, the rare amphibian has been found again on Makaibari Tea Estate near Kurseong town.

[Rajan Banerjee, Makaibari Tea Estate Owner]:
“There was a professor who has devoted his whole life to the pursuit of caecilians because it apparently disappeared from the Earth 150 years ago. He came here two months ago before the monsoon started. He tried to find it. Shortly after he left, it started raining and they were popping out over the place.”

Banerjee says he has found four caecilians and is taking care of them.

Experts and students from Delhi University are now visiting the hills to learn more about the creature. Researchers believe the species is common in the country’s Darjeeling-Sikkim region.

[Robin Siyush, Delhi University Student]:
“This is endemic to this Sikkim-Darjeeling area. Because this creature has been found here, we can say that the ecosystem has been preserved for this animal.”

For now, Siyush plans to gather more samples and take up further study on caecilians.

Duration : 0:1:36

[Read more…]

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