FrogWeb: Amphibian Declines & Malformations

tadpole morphing into frog

• The continental United States is home to at least 230 amphibian species: 90 frog and toad species, and 140 species of salamanders.
  
  
• In the U.S., declines are particularly serious in California, the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and Puerto Rico. Worldwide, decline "hot spots" also include Australia and Central America.
  
  
• Amphibian malformations - extra limbs, malformed or missing limbs, and facial malformations - have been documented in 44 states, and involve nearly 60 species. In some local populations, up to 60% of the amphibians exhibit malformations.
  
  

Featured Link of the Month

(External) The Herpetology Program at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab (SREL) manages the NARCAM for the NBII. The SREL's Web site provides an electronic field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the Savannah River area, as well as information about their current research projects, and reprints of popular articles written by their staff.

This NBII site is developed and maintained by the
Center for Biological Informatics of the U.S. Geological Survey
(External)

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FirstGov   (External)

science.gov