Kerry wrote:
We first noticed it with frogs and other amphibians. Working in Costa
Rica
I can remember having trouble walking without stepping on their "golden
frogs" in Monteverde. In just 3 years they completely disappeared!
With
snakes I think it is mostly habitat destruction as you were talking
about,
with frogs and other amphibians it is more complex, UV-B, fungi, Ozone,
so
many things that we'll probably not get a handle on it before they're
gone.
I'm so incredibly sad when I think of the changes I've seen in my own
(relatively) short lifetime...
Hi Kerry
You are indeed a legend to have seen the "golden frogs" of Monterverde.
I have never visited the place but have seen many pictures of them up
there in the cloud forests, and have like-wise wondered at their strange
demise.
We have just completed a new display here at the Qld Museum on
endangered species and have included a section on the vanishing frogs of
this state. We have no less than 14 frog species that have become
extremely rare or have disappeared from virtually untouched rainforest
areas here (including the aquatic Platypus Frog, which reared its young
in its stomach). It's all very worrying. Currently NASA is doing some
work with local researchers on correlating weather patterns with
declines in amphibian populations here - very interesting (although the
favoured theory here is still introduced pathogens).
And yes, our snake numbers have declined, mainly due to habitat clearing
and things such as the poisonous Cane (Marine) Toad, introduced here in
a failed attempt at bio-control of Sugar Cane pests. Despite this,
snakes are doing pretty well in Queensland (we have 31 snake species
living in the Brisbane area - although most have seriously declined in
number). We have no shortage of highly-venoumous Browns. Some of the
more "interesting" ones such as Death Adders and Black Snakes have
declined in many areas.
Your stories of your photographic exploits in the rainforest have been
great reading! (Oh, and my shorts are baggy and long!! and, I do wear
boots when photographing reptiles!!)
Cheers
Robert Ashdown
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