With threats from climate change, agriculture and urbanization, the story of these tiny frogs encapsulates the interconnectedness and the urgency of the many issues our society faces today.
In the mountains of Mexico, these penny-sized frogs are threatened by climate change and urbanization7:00 AM on Jul 13, 2022 CDT
To those of us going about our daily lives, some of these issues become almost abstract. So vast and complicated that they seem immeasurable and out of our hands. For these tiny frogs, however, they all came knocking right on their door. And in many ways, their story is intertwined with ours. A reminder that these issues won’t just disappear.
But the story of the tiny frogs themselves dates back even further, and it starts with a case of mistaken identity. Biologically-critical areas that used to be completely safe, said Smith, have become more and more dangerous for even local scientists to study because of increasing drug cartel violence, adding to the already mounting list of challenges faced by the frogs.“When I was a graduate student, I actually went a few times with my wife and with my newborn kid, you know, like seven months old in the back seat. We would actually go camping for a week in certain areas in Guerrero and Oaxaca,” said Smith.
With continued funding for this critical research, Jeff Streicher, a former graduate student on Smith’s team, was able to also visit Mexico to collect and study more frogs in the area. This combination of methods makes it easier to sort out different sets of species who may externally look alike, said Alessandro Catenazzi, Florida International University assistant professor in biological sciences. He was not involved in this study.
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