2008 YEAR OF THE FROG Frogs are going extinct. So are toads, salamanders, newts, and the intriguingly unusual caecilians. In fact, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates that at least one-third of known amphibian species are threatened with extinction - a higher percentage than either birds or mammals. While the major culprit is still habitat loss and degradation, many of the declines and extinctions previously referred to as "enigmatic" are now being attributed to the rapidly dispersing infectious disease chytridiomycosis ("chytrid"). This fungus is causing population and species extinctions at an alarming rate.

Jennifer Campbell

Explore our Year of the Frog pages to learn more about amphibians, what the Calgary Zoo is doing to help them, and how you too can jump in to help save them from extinction.

What you can do	There are lots of things you can do to help wild amphibians, whether you're 7 or 70.	more
Research	Researchers at the Calgary Zoo are discovering more about amphibians in order to help conserve them. This includes Alberta's most threatened amphibian, the Northern Leopard Frog.	more
YOTF at the zoo	Want to visit real live amphibians from around the world, and learn more about them in a fun, interactive way?  Check out the upcoming YOTF activities at the Calgary Zoo.	more
Learn more	Did you know that some salamanders live to be 80 years old? Or that the world's smallest frog would fit on your thumbnail? Or that Alberta is home to a frog that can freeze solid?  Find out more...	more

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are three groups of amphibians:

 

Frogs and toads (also called 'anurans')

There are more than 5000 species of anurans, making them the most diverse group of amphibians. Frogs and toads have short bodies, strong high legs and no tail.

Salamanders, Newts and Mudpuppies

These amphibians have long bodies, short legs and tails. The biggest amphibian in the world is the Chinese giant salamander, which can grow almost 2 m long. Alberta is home to 2 species of salamander.

 

Caecilians

These strange amphibians live mostly underground, and so aren't very well known.Caecilians are easy to tell apart from all other amphibians because they have no legs, making them look more like worms than frogs. Alberta is too cold to have any caecilian species, which prefer the warmth of the tropics.

 

Photo credits: Donna Sheppard, Bill Quayle, Dawson