News Headline
These Captive-Bred Frogs Are Facing Predators and the Chytrid Fungus to Make It in the Wild
Source
Smithsonian
Publication Date
2018-02-02
Exploring the dense montane forest of western Panama, you’re likely to spy swooping harpy eagles, long-tailed quetzals, sleepy sloths, ululating howler monkeys and dozens of brilliant butterflies. With all the action above the forest floor, you might never consider the tinier wildlife scuttling about your feet. Some of the most remarkable organisms in the forest are frogs and toads (anurans), 170 separate species of which call Panama their home. One of the most striking types of anuran, the variable harlequin frog, is on the brink of extinction. Smithsonian conservationists are looking to prevent that.