wes_von_papineäu
Our Roving Correspondent
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- Wes von Papineäu
REUTERS 21 January 08 Giant newt, tiny frog identified as most at risk
London: A giant Chinese salamander that predates Tyrannosaurus rex and the world's smallest frog are among a group of extremely rare amphibians identified by scientists on Monday as being in need of urgent help to survive.
The Olm, a blind salamander that can survive for 10 years without food, and a purple frog that spends most of its life four metres underground are also among the 10 most endangered amphibians drawn up by the Zoological Society of London.
"These species are the 'canaries in the coalmine' -- 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," said EDGE head Jonathan Baillie.
EDGE, which stands for Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered, is a project set up a year ago to identify and start to protect some of nature's most weird and wonderful creatures.
"The EDGE amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85 percent of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention," said the project's amphibians chief Helen Meredith.
While last year's launch focused on at risk mammals, this year the focus shifted to neglected amphibians.
"These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation," Meredith added.
Not only are the target species unique, the project itself is breaking new ground by using the internet at www.zsl.org/edge to highlight threatened creatures and encourage the public to sponsor conservation.
Global warming and human depredation of habitat are cited as root causes of the problem facing the creatures from the massive to the minute.
The Chinese giant salamander, a distant relative of the newt, can grow up to 1.8 metres in length while the tiny Gardiner's Seychelles frog when full grown is only the size of a drawing pin.
Also on this year's list is the limbless Sagalla caecilian, South African ghost frogs, lungless Mexican salamanders, the Malagasy rainbow frog, Chile's Darwin frog and the Betic midwife toad whose male carries fertilised eggs on its hind legs.
"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 EDGE's Baillie.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL2038808
INTHENEWS.CO.UK (London, UK) 21 January 08 Ghost frogs given protection
Ten of the most unusual and threatened amphibian species are to be given extra help from conservationists, it was announced today.
Survival plans have been drawn up for the weird and wonderful creatures, which include a giant, ancient relative of the newt and a drawing-pin-sized frog.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs the Edge conservation programme, described the creatures on the list as some of the world's most extraordinary amphibians currently threatened with extinction.
The programme aims to help creatures that are evolutionary distinct and globally endangered (Edge).
Dr Jonathan Baillie described the creatures on the list as "canaries in the coalmine".
"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," he said.
"If we lose them, other species will inevitably follow."
Amphibians are under threat from a number of factors including habitat destruction, pollution, climate change and disease.
Edge amphibians coordinator Helen Meredith commented: "The Edge amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85 per cent of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention and will become extinct if action is not taken now.
"These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation."
The ten species being given protection plans:
1) Chinese giant salamander
2) Sagalla caecilian - a limbless amphibian with sensory tentacles on the sides of its head
3) Purple frog - lives 4m underground for most of the year
4) Ghost frogs of South Africa - so-called as one species is found only in the traditional human burial grounds of Skeleton Gorge in Table Mountain, South Africa
5) Olm - a blind salamander that can survive without food for ten years
6) Lungless salamanders of Mexico
7) Malagasy rainbow frog
8) Chile Darwin's frog - feared to already be extinct as it has not officially be seen since 1980
9) Betic midwife toad - the males carry the fertilised eggs wrapped around their hind legs
10) Gardiner's Seychelles frog – the size of a drawing pin
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/autocodes/countries/south-africa/ghost-frogs-given-protection-$1190528.htm
London: A giant Chinese salamander that predates Tyrannosaurus rex and the world's smallest frog are among a group of extremely rare amphibians identified by scientists on Monday as being in need of urgent help to survive.
The Olm, a blind salamander that can survive for 10 years without food, and a purple frog that spends most of its life four metres underground are also among the 10 most endangered amphibians drawn up by the Zoological Society of London.
"These species are the 'canaries in the coalmine' -- 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," said EDGE head Jonathan Baillie.
EDGE, which stands for Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered, is a project set up a year ago to identify and start to protect some of nature's most weird and wonderful creatures.
"The EDGE amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85 percent of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention," said the project's amphibians chief Helen Meredith.
While last year's launch focused on at risk mammals, this year the focus shifted to neglected amphibians.
"These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation," Meredith added.
Not only are the target species unique, the project itself is breaking new ground by using the internet at www.zsl.org/edge to highlight threatened creatures and encourage the public to sponsor conservation.
Global warming and human depredation of habitat are cited as root causes of the problem facing the creatures from the massive to the minute.
The Chinese giant salamander, a distant relative of the newt, can grow up to 1.8 metres in length while the tiny Gardiner's Seychelles frog when full grown is only the size of a drawing pin.
Also on this year's list is the limbless Sagalla caecilian, South African ghost frogs, lungless Mexican salamanders, the Malagasy rainbow frog, Chile's Darwin frog and the Betic midwife toad whose male carries fertilised eggs on its hind legs.
"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 EDGE's Baillie.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL2038808
INTHENEWS.CO.UK (London, UK) 21 January 08 Ghost frogs given protection
Ten of the most unusual and threatened amphibian species are to be given extra help from conservationists, it was announced today.
Survival plans have been drawn up for the weird and wonderful creatures, which include a giant, ancient relative of the newt and a drawing-pin-sized frog.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs the Edge conservation programme, described the creatures on the list as some of the world's most extraordinary amphibians currently threatened with extinction.
The programme aims to help creatures that are evolutionary distinct and globally endangered (Edge).
Dr Jonathan Baillie described the creatures on the list as "canaries in the coalmine".
"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," he said.
"If we lose them, other species will inevitably follow."
Amphibians are under threat from a number of factors including habitat destruction, pollution, climate change and disease.
Edge amphibians coordinator Helen Meredith commented: "The Edge amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85 per cent of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention and will become extinct if action is not taken now.
"These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation."
The ten species being given protection plans:
1) Chinese giant salamander
2) Sagalla caecilian - a limbless amphibian with sensory tentacles on the sides of its head
3) Purple frog - lives 4m underground for most of the year
4) Ghost frogs of South Africa - so-called as one species is found only in the traditional human burial grounds of Skeleton Gorge in Table Mountain, South Africa
5) Olm - a blind salamander that can survive without food for ten years
6) Lungless salamanders of Mexico
7) Malagasy rainbow frog
8) Chile Darwin's frog - feared to already be extinct as it has not officially be seen since 1980
9) Betic midwife toad - the males carry the fertilised eggs wrapped around their hind legs
10) Gardiner's Seychelles frog – the size of a drawing pin
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/autocodes/countries/south-africa/ghost-frogs-given-protection-$1190528.htm
