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Fresh frog finds have tale to tell
Source: Agencies |
September 19, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
YEARS of combing tropical mountain forests, shining flashlights under rocks and listening for croaks in the night have paid off for a team of Indian scientists who have discovered 12 new frog species plus three others thought to be extinct.
It is a find the team hopes will bring attention to India's amphibians and their role in gauging the health of the environment.
Worldwide, 32 percent of the world's known amphibian species are threatened with extinction, largely because of habitat loss or pollution, according to Global Wildlife Conservation.
The project's lead scientist, biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju of the University of Delhi, said: "Frogs are extremely important indicators not just of climate change, but also pollutants."
He added: "Unfortunately in India, conservation has basically focused on the two most charismatic animals - the elephant and the tiger. For amphibians there is little interest, little funding, and frog research is not easy."
It is a find the team hopes will bring attention to India's amphibians and their role in gauging the health of the environment.
Worldwide, 32 percent of the world's known amphibian species are threatened with extinction, largely because of habitat loss or pollution, according to Global Wildlife Conservation.
The project's lead scientist, biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju of the University of Delhi, said: "Frogs are extremely important indicators not just of climate change, but also pollutants."
He added: "Unfortunately in India, conservation has basically focused on the two most charismatic animals - the elephant and the tiger. For amphibians there is little interest, little funding, and frog research is not easy."
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