Friday, December 08, 2006  Are all the frogs really dying?
Scientists agree that frog and toad populations in the United
States and around the world are in decline. Of about 100
different species in the U.S., twenty-two are listed as
threatened or endangered. Worldwide, there are thousands of
species with hundreds nearing extinction. Yikes!  But there is
hope. If scientists can figure out why so many species are
threatened, then maybe we can save all those peepers and
croakers from singing their last tune.  Frogs and toads are
amphibians, spending part of their lifecycle in the water, and
part on land. And, unlike most landlubbers, they have very thin
permeable skin which absorbs both water and air. Because of this
feature frogs and toads are good indicators of changes in the
earth’s environments and for this reason are considered the
global version of the “canary in the coal mine,” only this coal
mine is the planet earth! So far scientists have identified
several possible changes that could impact survival