Frogs Also Endangered!
The cute and colorful Red-Eyed Tree Frog is famous for its bulging orangey-red eyes. While not yet on the endangered species list, its habitat continues to be destroyed by deforestation and the numbers are decreasing rapidly. In addition, many of these creatures are captured for zoos and pet stores. The Red-Eyed Tree Frog can be 3 inches long and is a carnivore, preying on moths, crickets, beetles, flies and even smaller frogs. Its natural enemies include birds, turtles, lizards, snakes, bats and other mammals. They can be found near rivers or ponds in the lowland rainforests in southern Mexico, Central America and northern Columbia.
Amazing Fact: The Red-Eyed Tree Frog can leave a ghostly image, when it leaps away from predators. This confuses the predator and also gives the impression that it is poisonous — allowing the frog time to escape and hide.
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Why was 2008 the Year of the Frog? — Amphibian Species are threatened with extinction.
Red-Eyed Tree Frog Half of the approximately 6,000 amphibian species are threatened with extinction. 165 amphibian species are believed to have already gone extinct, including 34 known to be extinct, 1 extinct in the wild but still survives in captivity, and 130 not found in recent years and possibly extinct.
500 amphibian species are estimated to be in danger of immediate extinction.
North American zoos are currently prepared to handle 10 species long-term and the global zoo community could possibly handle 50 species long-term.
Source: www.amphianark.org.
