Count Your Frogs

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Brits asked to count common frogs

 

The long-term future of British amphibians is in the balance

 

Victoria Micklewright

The charity Froglife is asking Britons to count the common frog to

find out how seriously it is being affected by two key diseases.

Chytridiomycosis and ranavirus may prove as devastating in the UK as

they have globally, with a third of species facing extinction.

 

Froglife is asking people to download a questionnaire and report

sightings.

 

It says it needs a thousand responses to draw up an accurate picture

of trends across the country.

 

" It's easy to view frogs as everyday garden residents, " said

Froglife's wildlife information officer Victoria Micklewright, " but

being sensitive to changes in both land and water, amphibians are

drastically important indicators of the quality of our environment. "

 

Twin threats

 

Globally, the disappearance of habitats, pollution, climatic changes

and hunting for food have seriously affected many of the 5,743 known

amphibian species; up to 122 have disappeared within the last 25

years.

 

 

 

 

Fungal disease hits UK

Saving the world's frogs

Ranavirus has also been a long-standing issue; but the last few

decades have seen the emergence of a significant new threat, the

fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

 

The first case in Britain was observed just last month.

 

The Frogwatch project is asking people to document and report

sightings of the common frog (Rana temporaria), and to indicate if

the animals which they see show any signs of viral or fungal

infection.

 

Ranavirus infection is sometimes called " red leg disease " ; it is

characterised by ulcers or bleeding, with legs becoming thin and in

some cases the extremities falling off.

 

Symptoms of chytridiomycosis include lethargy, a thickening and

reddening of the skin, convulsions and occasional ulcers.

 

Froglife would like as many responses as possible, but estimates it

will need at least 1,000 to provide a scientifically sound snapshot.

 

" The long-term future of British amphibians is still very much in the

balance, " said Victoria Micklewright, " and simple data about our

common frog could be a crucial tool in amphibian conservation in the

future. "