Skip to main content

This is a promotional video that I created for Amphibian Ark concerning amphibian declines. If you share this concern please share this video, or paste it in your own blog.

One of my biggest ecological concerns is an amphibian plague that’s sweeping across the planet and eradicating entire amphibian species in as quickly as a few months. It’s called “Chytrid”. Over 160 amphibian species have been lost in only the past three decades to Chytrid and compounding factors. Spread by human activities, Chytrid is a fungus that spreads through water systems, is transmitted between animals, and can survive in the soil. Once embedded upon a susceptible amphibian, the skin thickens, proper respiration and hydration are impeded, and the animal dies. As Chytrid sweeps through new areas, it kills susceptible amphibians who have no defense against the exotic pathogen. In Colorado, the Boreal Toad is a notable species affected by Chytrid. We can’t stop Chytrid yet, and there are critically endangered species that will soon be extinct because there are too few individuals left in the wild. In addition to research, our only hope is to preserve breeding colonies of dwindling species in captivity, which may be reintroduced to the wild after a solution has been found. This is what my friends at Amphibian Ark do. Please visit them and watch this video to find out more.

Translate »