Endangered Frog Species

Frog populations have plummeted worldwide, seemingly from a combination of disease, habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species and pollution. About half of the 6,000 species of amphibians, most of which are frogs and toads, are endangered and some are already extinct.

  1. Background

    • The reasons frogs are endangered are complex and vary from species to species. Habitat destruction plays a key role, notably for rain forest frogs. Because frogs require both land habitat and water habitat, loss or change to either impacts them. Amphibians have a permeable skin and are highly sensitive to water pollution. The chytrid fungus is an infection linked to amphibian deaths throughout the world. The exotic pet trade has decimated some species such as the Cowan's mantella, a strikingly marked little frog endemic to Madagascar.

    Tropical Frogs

    • Rain forests are a habitat well suited to amphibians, which need moisture. For example, more than 1,000 species of frogs are only found in the Amazon basin. Development and agriculture threaten rain forests and the frogs in it. Among the endangered tropical frogs are the horned marsupial frog of South America, which is on the verge on becoming extinct in the wild, and many of the vividly colored dart frogs.

    Temperate Frogs

    • Temperate frogs are also under threat, even in protected areas. For example in Yosemite National Park alone, two of its four native species of frogs have disappeared from the park and populations of the remaining two are on the decline. This pattern is repeated elsewhere. The once widespread crawfish frog of the southern United States is now endangered, mainly because of conversion of natural habitat to farmland.

    How to Help

    • Gardeners can help local frogs by going organic and setting up wildlife ponds for frog tadpoles. Buying local food, rather than imports, which may involve the destruction of rain forest, helps on a wider scale. All the usual green tips of saving energy, recycling, choosing organic food and buying sustainable wood benefit frogs. People wishing to keep frogs as pets should ensure they only purchase captive bred animals and report any suppliers selling endangered species of uncertain origin to the appropriate authorities.