Amphibians
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Eye of Newt
Researchers find that newts are capable of regenerating body parts well into old age. Andrzej Krauze T he humble newt has fascinated biologists for more than two hundred years. These amphibians, with their amazing and oft-cited ability to regrow lost body parts, have attracted the attention of regeneration researchers: cut off a newt’s tail or a leg, or remove a lens from its eye, and it grows back.
The amphibian chytrid fungus ( Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis : Bd) is the cause of the most spectacular loss of vertebrate biodiversity in recorded history. To date, at least 200 species have been driven extinct and hundreds more have suffered major declines.
The Origin of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus
Salamanders Used as Fishing Bait Linked to Amphibian Disease Epidemics - Part 1 | That Reptile Blog
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Shocking as it may be to anyone with even a passing awareness of conservation issues, tiger salamander larvae ( Ambystoma tigrinum ) are still widely used as fishing bait throughout much of the USA. Run through with hooks while alive, the 6-10 inch amphibians are wildly popular with anglers seeking bass, pickerel and other fishes.
Half of Europe's frogs and toads face extinction in 40 years, 'terrifying' study shows
One in three of the world's amphibians - which include frogs, toads, newts and salamanders - is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of endangered species, the Guardian reports . Researchers led by Dr Christian Hof have carried out the largest study of its kind on the future survival of the creatures. "What we found looking at climate change, for example, is that many tropical regions, such as northern South America, the Andes and parts of Africa, will be highly impacted," he told the paper.Dwarf mountain toads and the ones with the doughnut-headed tadpoles | Tetrapod Zoology
Cladogram based on Van Bocxlaer et al. (2010). Click to enlarge.
Richard Perry/The New York Times Students from Mark Twain I.S. 239 studied salamanders on Staten Island this week. “Don’t grab him by the tail,” warned another.
Salamander Study Enlists New York City Seventh Graders
Chytrid Fungus: Hope for Fighting Deadly Amphibian Disease | Frogs Are Green
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered a freshwater organism that might help in fighting the chytrid fungus , which is a principal cause for the worldwide amphibian decline. A freshwater species of zooplankton, called Daphnia magna , could provide a tool for biological control of the deadly fungus whose impact, one researcher has called “the most spectacular loss of vertebrate biodiversity due to disease in recorded history.” Daphnia magna is a variety of water fleas of the genus Daphnia, some species of which are commonly used as food for aquarium fish.
Possible biological control discovered for pathogen devastating amphibians | News & Research Communications
The study this story is based on is available online: http://bit.ly/oC488C
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27 Wonderful Images of Frogs
I confess. I'm jealous of frogs, lizards and salamanders. Why?
I Confess: I'm Jealous Of Frogs, Lizards And Salamanders Because Of Their Stem Cells
Newswise — MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass.--For the first time, Tufts University biologists have reported that bioelectrical signals are necessary for normal head and facial formation in an organism and have captured that process in a time-lapse video that reveals never-before-seen patterns of visible bioelectrical signals outlining where eyes, nose, mouth, and other features will appear in an embryonic tadpole.
The Face of a Frog: Time-Lapse Video Reveals Never-Before-Seen Bioelectric Pattern
After months of scouring remote forests in Borneo , researchers spotted three rainbow toads up a tree, snapping the first-ever photographs of this elusive amphibian species that hadn't been seen for 87 years, scientists announced July 13. Skip to next paragraph
Rainbow toad: Found after 87 years, first photo ever
A few weeks ago, Dr SD Biju, an eminent Indian amphibian researcher, was leading volunteers in the forests surrounding Mirik Lake in Darjeeling, West Bengal. They were on the lookout for frogs belonging to that region.