Extinct Golden Frog

Found this by reading a BBC article about how the golden frogs mate, and communicate. Its very interesting. This little dudes tend to wave to each others, they just not croak, sometimes the just  ‘move hands’ to make them notice. “Semaphores” BBC said. 

The golden frog is one of the symbols of Panamá. Used to live in a couple of places, like Coclé province and a place known as El Copé.

BBC reports that the last group of golden frogs have to be rescued by scientist from it’s natural environment because of a fungus thas was suffocatting them.

Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) was identified in Fortuna (Chiriqui Province) in 1998, also was reported that year in Australia. Came from Costa Rica  killing thousands amphibious all over the region. How that fungus (that is new in our ecosystem) arrived here? Well, the spread of this fungus is somehow related to the climate change and it seems to be that the golden frog is one of the first panamenian victims. Probably new temperatures had make it possible for the Chytrid fungus to travel all over.

I don’t really know what is the definition of “extinct” but they are a couple of golden frogs living in boxes, in a zoo named “El Níspero” in Coclé and somewhere in the Smithshonian Tropical Research Institute.

We have to understand this as a tragedy.  A little part of Panamá is dying. According to the smithsonian you can measure the health of an ecosystem by the amphibious living in it. This have to be a huge red flag.

 Last wave’ for wild golden frog
Investigaciones científicas en Panamá y la crisis global de las poblaciones de anfibios