Climate Fact: Amphibian Alarm
Sixty-seven (67) percent of the 110 known species of Harlequin Frog are now extinct and 80 percent of the species that have disappeared were last spotted in years following abnormally warm events. It is known that the Chytrid Fungus, which kills amphibians, thrives between the temperatures of 17 and 25 degrees Celsius, and grows best at 23 degrees. A large number of Harlequin Frog species live in Costa Rica’s high altitude Monteverde Cloud Forest, where a recent warming trend has resulted in changes in how the Region’s clouds form. These changes mean that the days in the forest are not hot enough and the nights are not cold enough to kill the fungus. This trend is linked to the decline of Harlequin Frogs.
Seasons: Spring, Summer
(Source: Pounds, J.A. et al. Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature: 2006 Jan 12; 439 (7073): 161-7.)