The last decade has not been a good one for our web-footed friends. Scientists are just now beginning to understand what is causing the skyrocketing number of deaths and deformities in most species of frogs throughout the world.

There’s a prehistoric fungus called the chytridiomycete fungus that is normally found in soil and, until recently, has never endangered animal life. The fungus has always acted as an agent to help break down rotting matter. It is believed to kill frogs and some lizards by either releasing poison into the group and/or by preventing air and water from passing through the frog’s thin, permeable skin, a kind of suffocation of the frog. Biologists are unsure if the fungus is the primary cause of death or if it is simply an opportunist that attacks a body already weakened by the effects of pollution and/or a change in the environment.

Scientists are theorizing on what they believe is causing the high number of deformities found in frogs. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) believes that increased ultraviolet radiation entering the atmosphere because of the depletion of the ozone may be causing the deformities. Another theory of the National Institute of Environmental Health Services (NIESH) is the deformities, including missing or extra limbs, can be traced to the waters they inhibit.

In our last newsletter we published an article about the plight of the frog. It seems that more and more frogs are turning up with deformities and the population has hit an all-time low. There is someone (a group of "someones" who are out there doing something about it. The "Frog Force" is a partnership between the Department of the Interior, the National Wildlife Federation and Martin & Chris Kratt (creators of the popular public television series "Kratt’s Creatures"). It is an organization designed to educate Americans and get them involved in solving some of the causes for the decline in frog populations.

The "FrogWeb" is a site on the internet dedicated to providing current information on this phenomena and serves as a collection point for data gathered from all over the world by citizens interested in the declines. You, too, can find a number of tools to assist in monitoring frog populations by sight and sound, how to identify deformities and, via the internet, enter collected data on local amphibian populations. The National Wildlife Federation is actively promoting the building of frog ponds.