Extinction of amphibians..we know is because of pesticides

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Published: June 22, 2005

Filed at 8:47 a.m. ET

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Before the arrival of

Spanish colonizers some 500 years ago, Indians in what

is now Ecuador dipped their arrowheads in venom

extracted from the phantasmal poison frog to doom

their victims to convulsive death, scientists believe.

More recently, epibatidine -- the chemical which

paralyzed and killed the Indians' enemies -- has been

isolated to produce a pain killer 200 times more

powerful than morphine, but without that drug's

addictive and toxic side effects.

Pharmaceutical companies have not yet brought

epibatidine to market but hope to discover other

chemicals with powerful properties in frogs, which are

a traditional source of medicine and food for many of

Ecuador's Indians.

They may want to hurry because the treasure trove of

the world's frogs and toads is disappearing at a

catastrophic rate. And it's not just potential

medicines which could be vanishing but creatures of

beauty.

``Frogs and toads are becoming extinct all over the

world. It's the same magnitude event as the extinction

of the dinosaurs,'' said Coloma, a herpetologist,

or scientist dedicated to studying reptiles and

amphibians, in Ecuador -- the country with the

third-greatest diversity of amphibians.

The thumb-sized jungle-dwelling phantasmal poison frog

is an example of amphibian good looks, despite its

macabre associations. It is bright red with

fluorescent green stripes.

At least two out of five of the 3,046 amphibian types

in the Americas -- home to 53 percent of known species

-- are threatened with extinction, according to a

recent report titled ``Disappearing Jewels'' by lobby

group NatureServe.

Nine amphibians, including eight frogs and a

salamander, have become extinct in the Americas in the

last 100 years, including five since 1980, according

to the report. Scientists have also been unable to

find representatives of another 117 species, which are

also possibly extinct.

VARIOUS CAUSES

Toads and frogs are dying out under pressure from the

expansion of agriculture, forestry, pollution, disease

and climate change, NatureServe said.

``Amphibians are disappearing before our eyes,'' the

report said.

Scientists fear they could be indicator species -- a

sign of possible future damage to other parts of the

ecosystem because frogs and toads are especially

vulnerable and thus are the first to disappear.

``Disappearing amphibians break links in the food

chain, with often unpredictable effects on other

organisms,'' the report said.

Governments should strengthen controls at existing

nature reserves and encourage the breeding of

endangered species in captivity if they are to save

frogs, NatureServe says.

They should also foster research on the recently

discovered chytrid fungal disease, which is killing

frogs, and educate the public about the plight of

amphibians, it said.

``We have to change the idea that they are ugly and

slimy. They are beautiful, diverse species, just like

hummingbirds or butterflies,'' said Bustamante,

herpetologist at Ecuador's Catholic University.

The Catholic University possesses one of the largest

collections of captive live frogs in the Americas,

and, to boost public awareness of frogs and toads and

their tribulations, it recently staged an exhibition

of some of its charges in the capital Quito.

The jungles and mountains of Ecuador are home to 417

species of frogs and toads, of which more than a third

are classed as vulnerable or in critical danger of

extinction. In the Americas, only Colombia and Mexico

are home to more endangered amphibians, according to

NatureServe.

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