Twelve of the original 14 frogs survived and are in good health today. “The zoo’s specialists not only nursed the animals back to health after they were discovered malnourished and near-death in the wild last year, but they have now succeeded in breeding a new generation of a species that has very nearly vanished,” Lina Valencia, Global Wildlife Conservation’s Andes conservation officer, said in a statement. Liz Kimbrough is a staff writer for Mongabay. “So we’re very happy, learning again, trying to discover what these tadpoles need … the food that they need and the nutritional requirements … but it’s a challenge.”. The Loa water frogs, a tiny and beguiling dark-spotted amphibian also known as Telmatobius dankoi, mated between Oct. 11 and 12. Santiago: When Chilean scientists last year discovered 14 Loa water frogs struggling to survive in a nearly dry river bed in the country’s northern desert, the clock began ticking. In late October this year, after more than a year of meticulous care, they have produced 200 tadpoles. The Loa water frog is considered critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and was once found only in a single stream in Chile. Loa water frogs are a critically endangered amphibian known only to inhabit a single stream in Chile. There are at least 63 known species of water frogs, or Telmatobius species, found from Ecuador to Chile, including in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The 14 specimens left in a muddy puddle were dehydrated and malnourished and with their habitat threatened by illegal water extraction for mining, agriculture and real estate development, the decision was taken to transfer them 1,500km to the south to Chile's National Zoo in the capital, Santiago. So do its elephants, Activists in Malaysia call on road planners to learn the lessons of history, Road-paving project threatens a wildlife-rich reserve in Indonesia’s Papua. Because water frogs … The Loa water frog was once found only in a single stream in Chile, and experts estimate that there may be between just 5 and 8 individuals still alive in the wild. “Ultimately we need to work very hard to restore their environment because it’s pointless to breed them if they don’t have a home to go back to in the wild,” Montalba said in a statement. Nearly 200 Loa water frog (Telmatobius dankoi) tadpoles hatched Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the National Zoo of Chile, a little more than a year after a team of conservationists and government officials in Chile swiftly evacuated the last-known 14 frogs from perilously dry habitat and brought them to the zoo.“The zoo’s specialists not only nursed the animals … Experts say there may be between five and eight individuals still living in the wild. hbspt.cta.load(5981609, '8f4c6e6c-f5b2-40c0-926e-1af2470257f3', {}); Mongabay is a reader-supported conservation and environmental science news service. "They had to replicate the exact conditions of the water... to keep them alive," she said. The most famous of the water frogs is perhaps Romeo, “the loneliest frog in the world” as he is the last known male Sehuencas water frog (Telmatobius yuracare). The entire population of one of Chile's rarest frogs once lived quite happily—whatever happiness might look like for a frog—in a single stream. Now, after more than a year of meticulous care, they have produced 200 tadpoles. “When we brought these animals to the zoo, I didn’t even know if they were going to survive the transfer from Calama on the plane to Santiago,” said Andrés Charrier, a rescue team member and herpetologist affiliated with the Chilean Herpetological Society. Fourteen Loa water frogs were taken to Santiago zoo in 2019. The rescue mission was launched last year after herpetologist Andrés Charrier found that the stream outside the city of Calama - the only place where the Loa water frogs are known to live - had dried up. The land that includes the muddy pool where the frogs were found, for example, was recently sold to a real estate developer. Conservationists in Chile are celebrating after a group of critically endangered Loa water frogs … “We put two couples together, and we got about 200 eggs. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. The Loa water frogs, a tiny and beguiling dark-spotted amphibian also known as Telmatobius dankoi, mated between Oct 11 and Oct 12. Because they require such specific conditions for survival, they are especially vulnerable to threats from development, drought, pollution and disease. Zoo Director Alejandra Montalba praised the team which looks after the frogs - and now their 200 offspring as well - for their meticulous work. Last year in 2010,… Continue reading Last Known Loa Water Frogs Reproduce! The river had dried up to illegal extraction of water for mining, agriculture, and urban development. Banner image of a Loa water frog at the National Zoo of Chile. And … Many of these species, like the Loa water frog, are microendemic, which means they live in just one small place. 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I know you'd much rather be snuggling up in your own stream, eating the wild snails and earthworms of your choice. We depend on support from users like you. DONATE HERE. Our EIN or tax ID is 45-3714703. Rare Bolivian glass frogs seen for first time in 18 years, Hundred-year-old whisky bottles found in house walls. Our biweekly podcast delivering news & inspiration from nature’s frontline. The Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Bolivia, where the star-crossed lovers live, recently released a letter of encouragement from Romeo to the Loa water frogs in Chile. Many of these species, like the Loa water frog, are microendemic, which means they live in just one small place. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Many water frogs are microendemic, meaning that their habitat is found in one small location. “The story of the Loa water frogs is a cautionary tale,” Don Church, president of Global Wildlife Conservation, said in a statement, “one that should spur us to action for all other water frog species before they also potentially decline to only a few individuals left.”. Desperate to find a mate for "Romeo", a Sehuencas water frog which was believed to be the last of his species, the team at Alcide d'Orbigny gained worldwide publicity for their search when they placed a dating ad for Romeo. A healthy Loa water frog in 2015 (left), compared to the malnourished Loa water frogs (right) rescued this month from their dried-up habitat in Chile and taken to the National Zoo of Chile to be nursed back to health. The threats to the Loa water frog are common throughout northern Chile, where water is a scarce resource, drought has been unrelenting, and additional pressure comes from multiple human sources. In general, Titicaca water frogs prefer a mixed bottom; either a muddy or sandy bottom with some rocks, or with plenty of aquatic plants and some rocks. Researchers believe fewer than a dozen Loa water frogs remain in their native habitat. For more information, visit Mongabay.com. All Loa water frogs shared their home in a single stream in the Atacama desert, but most of their limited water supply has been extracted for nearby mining, agriculture, and real estate development. In 2019, that stream had dried into little more than a mud puddle. Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Not only was their approach successful - a mate was found for the lonely frog - but the team behind Romeo has also been helping out other frogs in need. But years of illegal water extraction for nearby copper mining choked and dessicated the waterway, squeezing the Loa water frogs that managed to survive into a puddle roughly the size of a small bedroom. Loa frogs, or Telmatobius dankoi, are brownish and quite small. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}Conservationists in Chile are celebrating after a group of critically endangered Loa water frogs produced 200 offspring in Santiago zoo. known to science living Argentina, Bolivia. Staff at the National Zoo of Chile in Santiago nursed 12 of the amphibians back to health and helped them produce 200 eggs. “Humans got us into this mess,” the letter says, “but since your human friends at the zoo are like mine at the museum and all over the world, you’ll know that so many of them are committed to fixing this mess. Experts say there may be between five and eight individuals still living in the wild. Read about our approach to external linking. The Loa frogs are the last of their species, but there are 63 other species of water frogs (Telmatobius spp.) It’s the first time that these particular species [has] reproduced in an ex situ condition,” Montalba said. What happens to your body in extreme heat? And in case words were not enough, a Spotify account under Romeo's name also offered an uplifting playlist for the Loa water frogs including titles such as Al Greens' "Take Me to the River", Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) and Elton John's "I'm Still Standing". The rescue of the 14 frogs received international praise and even caught the attention of Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, .css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link{color:#3F3F42;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited{font-weight:bolder;border-bottom:1px solid #BABABA;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:focus,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:focus{border-bottom-color:currentcolor;border-bottom-width:2px;color:#B80000;}@supports (text-underline-offset:0.25em){.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited{border-bottom:none;-webkit-text-decoration:underline #BABABA;text-decoration:underline #BABABA;-webkit-text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;-webkit-text-decoration-skip-ink:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;text-underline-offset:0.25em;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:focus,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:focus{-webkit-text-decoration-color:currentcolor;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;-webkit-text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-decoration-thickness:2px;color:#B80000;}}who celebrated their safe transfer in an Instagram post. The frogs caught a ride in the cockpit of a commercial flight from their dwindling habitat in Chile’s driest desert to the National Zoo of Chile in Santiago. Find her on Twitter @lizkimbrough. The Loa water frog’s stream had dried up due to illegal water extraction for mining, agriculture and real estate development, per Shersby. Gabriel Lobos, who with Andrés Charrier has spent years studying the Loa water frogs, told local media that the challenge now was to restore the frogs' habitat to allow their return to the wild. Charrier was assisted by Gabriel Lobos. That is where the team at Chile's National Zoo has received some help from their colleagues at Bolivia's Museum of Natural History "Alcide d'Orbigny" in Cochabamba. Fast,” Alejandra Montalba, director of the National Zoo of Chile, told Mongabay. The Loa water frogs, a tiny and beguiling dark-spotted amphibian also known as Telmatobius dankoi, mated between Oct. 11 and 12. Considered critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Loa water frog is thought to live only in one stream in Calama, Chile. Right photo by the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism of Chile) At the beginning, we didn’t know if the eggs were fertile or not, but we noticed right away that these eggs turn into larvae very fast. Last year, a letter "from the desk of Romeo" offered some encouraging words to the Loa water frogs: "I know you're far from home. Sadly, the river has become inhabitable for the frogs. Photo by the Metropolitan Park of Santiago Parquemet. Quiz of the Year, part one: Can you even remember January? They are found only in 1 location, Las Cascadas along the Loa River. 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In 2019, the last known 14 Loa water frogs (Telmatobius dankoi) were evacuated from a swiftly vanishing stream in northern Chile. Now, the zoo is home to 200 tadpoles, and the team faces the challenge of raising these young into healthy individuals. Fourteen Loa water frogs (Telmatobius dankoi) were airlifted to the zoo in 2019 after they were found in a muddy puddle, all that was left of their habitat in Chile's Atacama desert. © 2020 BBC. Herpetologists managed to nurse 12 of them back to health. The Loa water frogs, a tiny and beguiling dark-spotted amphibian also known as Telmatobius dankoi, mated between Oct. 11 and 12. Download photos and video. Water frogs are semi-aquatic or entirely aquatic, making them very sensitive to … Does Biden's new team better reflect America? Now, after more than a year of meticulous care, they have produced 200 tadpoles. Malnourished and dry in their changing habitat, they have been relocated to the National Zoo of Chile. 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Fourteen Loa water frogs were taken to Santiago zoo in 2019 Conservationists in Chile are celebrating after a group of critically endangered Loa water frogs produced 200 offspring in Santiago zoo. The Loa water frog is considered critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species TM and was once found only in a single stream in Chile. (Left photo by Claudio Soto Azat. Fourteen Loa water frogs (Telmatobius dankoi) were airlifted to the zoo in 2019 after they were found in a muddy puddle, all that was left of their habitat in Chile's Atacama desert. A team of conservationists and Indigenous leaders retrieved 14 malnourished Loa water frogs in Northern Chile. .css-1xgx53b-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-1xgx53b-Link:hover,.css-1xgx53b-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. Every day, Mongabay reporters bring you news from nature’s frontline. Only 14 frogs remained in the stream when they were collected on August 3. The critically endangered frogs normally live in a river near the city of Calama but as the city developed the water became polluted and dried up. After the care and feeding is successfully determined, the final step is reintroducing the species back into its native habitat. Mr Lobos had said last year that one of the problems of conservation efforts for the Loa water frog was getting attention for the species. They can comfortably perch on a human finger, as they rarely grow longer than two inches. The Loa Water Frog (Telmatobius dankoi) is a critically endangered frog from Chile. Once the frogs reached the zoo, experts there faced the challenge of recreating the water environment of their home stream and figuring out what to feed them. But until they have a safe home to go to, they will remain in the protection of the zoo. A study that surveyed depths from the shore to 7 m (23 ft) near Isla del Sol found that adults were most common at 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft). The two are now living together, and the hopes of their species hinge on their successful romance. Conservationists in Chile are celebrating after a group of critically endangered Loa water frogs produced 200 offspring in Santiago zoo. Into little more than a mud puddle vulnerable to threats from development, drought, pollution and disease a... Hundred-Year-Old whisky bottles found in house walls they live in just one small.... Is home to 200 tadpoles, '' she said is reintroducing the.., Hundred-year-old whisky bottles found in house walls, Venezuela crisis: lots of frustration, little.... ” Alejandra Montalba, director of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine swiftly vanishing stream in Chile... The tadpoles Chile in Santiago nursed 12 of them back into to the author of this post time in years! 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