The Loneliest Frog in the World: Single Specimen Is the Last of its Kind

02/24/2012

Tragic news recently came from Zoo Atlanta, where one of the last of two known specimens of Rabb's Fringe-limbed Treefrog had to be euthanized. This leaves just one individual of the species left alive in the entire world-- a male which currently resides in captivity at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

It's a tragic demise for such an endearing and charismatic little frog. Native to the mountains of central Panama, the Rabb's Fringe-limbed Treefrog was already a species in decline when it was first identified in 2005. The last known recording of the species in the wild was in 2007.

The Zoo Atlanta specimen had to be euthanized after its health and behavior began to rapidly deteriorate. According to the zoo's veterinary team, the gut-wrenching decision was made in order to prevent suffering and to preserve invaluable genetic material that may someday be used to study the species.

"Amphibians decompose much more rapidly than do many other classes of animals. Had the frog passed away overnight when no staff members were present, we would have lost any opportunity to preserve precious genetic material," said Joseph Mendelson, PhD, Curator of Herpetology. "To lose that chance would have made this extinction an even greater tragedy in terms of conservation, education and biology."

The species is just the latest to fall victim to the deadly chytrid fungus-- an infectious disease of amphibians which is believed to be the principle reason for the current sharp decline in amphibian biodiversity around the world. The disease has been estimated to have affected as much as 30% of the amphibian species on Earth.

When they were plentiful in their native habitat, Rabb's Fringe-limbed Treefrogs were known to be most active at night, when males would sing their distinctive chimes in an effort to attract females and defend their territory. For the lonely specimen still alive at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, though, those calls are now destined to go forever unrequited.

"This is the second time in my career that I have literally seen one of the very last of its kind die and an entire species disappear forever with it. It is a disturbing experience, and we are all poorer for it," said
Dwight Lawson, PhD. "The ongoing amphibian extinction crisis has taken a rich diversity of animals from us, and more effort and resources are desperately needed to halt the losses."

[Via Wildlife Extra]

[Photo: Brian Gratwicke/Wiki Commons/CC License]