Smallest frog?
The Gardiner's Seychelles frog, measuring in at less than half an inch (11 millimeters), is
perhaps the world's smallest frog, according to the Zoological Society
of London.
The animal is one of ten species selected by the organization
for conservation attention as part of the newly announced EDGE
Amphibians program.
"Tragically, amphibians tend to be the overlooked members of
the animal kingdom, even though one in every three amphibian species is
currently threatened with extinction, a far higher proportion than that
of bird or mammal species," said Jonathan Baillie, head of the EDGE
program, in a press statement released on January 22, 2008.
"These species are the 'canaries in the coal mine'—they are
highly sensitive to factors such as climate change and pollution, which
lead to extinction, and are a stark warning of things to come. If we
lose them, other species will inevitably follow."
January 22, 2008—A man holds a Chinese giant salamander, one of
ten species to garner conservation attention as part of the EDGE
Amphibians program announced today by the Zoological Society of London
(ZSL). The initiative is dedicated to preserving what the group says
are some of the world's strangest and most vulnerable amphibian species.
The Chinese giant salamander, which ZSL says is the world's largest
amphibian, is part of a distinct evolutionary lineage from the age of
dinosaurs and can reach the size of human—almost 6 feet (1.8 meters) in
length.
In addition to fragmented habitat, the creature —a distant
relative of the newt—has been hunted to near extinction, so part of
ZSL's conservation efforts include educating local people about the
animal.
—Photo by International Cooperation Network for Giant Salamander Conservation/courtesy Zoological Society of London
Little is known about the purple frog, one of ten amphibian species
selected for the new EDGE amphibians conservation program run by the
Zoological Society of London.
The pigmented creature was found only in 2003, because it spends most
of its time deep underground, up to 13 feet (4 meters) below the
surface.
"The EDGE program strives to protect the world's forgotten
species and ensure that the weirdest species survive the current
extinction crisis and astound future generations with their
extraordinary uniqueness," said Jonathan Baillie, head of the EDGE
program, in a press statement released on January 22, 2008.
cool