Lily Daniels

Are Frogs in Danger?

Between one-hundred and fifty and two hundred animals and plants fall off the face of the earth due to extinction. Many have during the billions of years our planet has existed. The ones that exist today, no matter how unique, have managed to carve in a niche after centuries upon centuries of genetic adjustments. What is this niche for frogs, and is it showing any signs of being lost any time soon?

Shortcomings:

Frogs are known for having a very powerful tongue as well as a long jump, even sporting impressive camouflage as well as incredible agility underwater and suction cups, but even their most powerful strengths aren’t enough to counteract many of the weaknesses that have made their population and relevance drop rapidly. One thing they can contest for, however, is the most predators. While this is not an accomplishment to be proud of, they certainly are close to holding that record, being predated on by small mammals, otters, birds (commonly herons), lizards, snakes, at times bats, and water shrews. They are anything but defenseless, having a jump with a distance relative to their size rivaled by nearly none.

The frog’s fight for survival as prey is still an uphill battle, even with their leaps considered. It only functions well for short bursts, obsolete against any opponent pursuing the frog away from a body of water persistent enough to move a few feet. However, predators are the least of a frog’s worries. Their skin is thin and easily infiltrated by diseases. Though their semi-aquatic capabilities are impressive, their reliance on water is still apparent, lethally drying them if they aren’t constantly around moist environments. This nullifies the promise of operating well on both water and land, binding them to damp settings despite their adaptations being intended for both terrestrial and aquatic ability. Many frog populations have dropped to a tremendously noticeable amount, and it’s not hard to see why.

Successful frogs:

There are many variants of frogs. Some successful, & some abortive. While many are doomed to suffer from weaknesses, others have mitigated this and fended for themselves. Simply having thick skin does the trick for bullfrogs, keeping them more protected from parasites and predators. The most substantial contrast between a normal frog and these ones are being the hunted and being the hunter, as a fully matured American bullfrog will voraciously feed on many ani- mals that most frogs are on equal footing with or in fear of, such as birds, other frogs, newts, bats, snakes, etc. The cane toad, however, has all of these capabilities with the ability to nearly guarantee that no animal who knows what’s good for them will come close, utilizing poison with the ability to kill a cat and make a dog sick. Taking the game of poison to a different level, poison dart frogs contain enough to rain death on an entire herd of elephants. These adaptations have brought them far, but it clearly isn’t serving them well enough to keep the group of animals out of extinction.

Comparison:

Many may have noticed the similarity between frogs and chameleons. Some of their most well-known traits that they share are an extremely malleable tongue employed for hunting. However, many chameleons are of much less concern. Frogs possess similarly impressive camouflage, both commonly being green. So shouldn’t chameleons struggle with similar problems?

Chameleons have it much easier due to their adaptation to life in the trees. Many frogs live in a habitat of the water’s surface where the unexpected should be expected. Predators take advantage of the little protection ponds provide from below and above, and vulnerable animals such as frogs are their favorite targets. This lifestyle likely isn’t going to change any time soon. Many amphibians will perish in any habitat without a generous amount of moisture, such as a desert or suburban area. Their demanding standards for a proper ecosystem confine them to specific areas, lowering their overall success.

Dwelling in trees, similar to chameleons, as some frogs have done before, only leads to destroying the purpose of their jump, one of their most useful traits, as well as meaning they will have to venture back to their regular habitat to hydrate, simply from a more dangerous altitude. Seemingly identical animals can be very different in retrospect, and these two are no exception.

Conclusion:

The most blatant “advantage” that frogs have over water-locked animals is their versatility gained from integrating themselves with life on land, which detriments the group of animals as a whole, pitting them against foes from land and water alike. Their abilities are lackluster in comparison to the challenges a frog faces in their lifetime. This danger is only all the more alarming when weaknesses such as viruses are considered. There is good news, however.

Multiple groups have realized the situation of these animals and seeked out to help them. It is a tough battle for the conservationists, but artificiality is definitely treating them much better than nature is. The fact that frogs suffer from enough problems to the point where we have realized and must pitch in is one of the many examples as to why the viability of these creatures are going South. To conclude, they are in danger, but with the help of a species as dominant and powerful as ours, they will likely stay with us for quite some time.