Vanishing Frogs Essay

Vanishing Frogs Essay

​Amphibians, especially frogs, are declining and disappearing around the world. Ecologists are impetuously looking for clues as to why there is a decline in our frog species. Despite desperate actions, decline in the frog population continues to get greater. Why now, are the populations of a unique, colorful species declining in rapid numbers?

​Some people may ask, who care about frogs? Well, one of the reasons is that they are an important part of our ecology. They prey on insects and other pests, keeping them from overpopulating and ruining various habitats. They also are an important source of food to other animals such as birds, snakes, and other mammals. It has been said that frogs are natural survivors. They survived through many extinction periods, including the dinosaur era. So something is terribly wrong for them to be dying off now and rather quickly. The factors that ecologists are coming up with as to why frogs are vanishing are very important to mankind and everyone should be aware of why this species is declining.

​There are many causes that ecologists have found to be the cause for the frog population decline; habitat destruction, global climate change, over exploitation and a new emerging disease called chytrid. Frogs have been given very little concern as we develop new roads, build homes and cities. As a result of these developments, we are destroying the frog’s habitats worldwide. Roads and other factors separate the remaining populations of amphibians from each other. The frogs’ habitats are being used, and they have nowhere to go but out in the open and wild, killing them off. Global warming and climate change have been given a lot of attention and discussion worldwide and most likely has had a significant negative effect on the frog. Frogs (amphibians) have extremely sensitive skin that is absorbent to air and water. Any change in temperature and moisture can have a significant impact on the health of the frog. “Climate change is one of the biggest reasons the amphibian population is in worldwide decline.” (Koebler, “Are Frogs Facing Extinction?”).

​Frogs are also being over-exploited. They are removed from the wild and sold internationally as food, as pets, or for biological supply markets. Amphibians are collected and transported all over the world for medicine, education (frogs are dissected in many biology classes) and scientific examinations. (“Overexploitation”, National Wildlife Federation). With the frogs’ habitat destruction, their global climate change, and