This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The transition from tadpole to juvenile frog is never easy—legs sprout, tails shrink and lungs develop for a life on land, all while being hunted by fish and other predators. Talk about growing pains.
But in the Aquarium of the Pacific's frog nursery, hundreds of critically endangered mountain yellow-legged frogs and tadpoles live comfortably under the watchful eye of animal conservationists before being released into the wild. Once the most populous vertebrate in their mountain habitat, the wild population of these tiny amphibians had dwindled to fewer than 200 by 2021. The Long Beach aquarium last month celebrated its release of 1,000 frogs since 2020, when a wildfire destroyed much of its remaining habitat.
More than 650 frogs were released in August, and nearly 400 of those were raised at the aquarium. Captive rearing and breeding efforts under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began in the early 2000s.
"Although they're pretty slow growers, given the right conditions, frogs are pretty successful, so my hope is that we can get them back," said Erin Lundy, the aquarium's conservation initiatives manager. Mountain yellow-legged frogs play an important role in native ecosystems. They are a source of food for several animals and, as tadpoles, they help keep waterways clean by eating large amounts of algae and other decaying organic matter.
Their populations were first threatened in the late 1800s when nonnative trout that fed on tadpoles were introduced to their habitats for recreational fishing. In areas where the trout were removed, frog populations began to recover. They are also susceptible to chytrid fungus, which has caused the decline or extinction of hundreds of species of amphibians worldwide.
The mountain yellow-legged frog was dealt a devastating blow in fall 2020, when the Bobcat Fire destroyed about 95% of its habitat. Subsequent rainfall turned burn areas into mudslides and filled waterways with runoff. Scientists were able to salvage a handful of tadpoles from the area, which the aquarium raised and released.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
