We are anxiously waiting for news from Panama to see how RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser, Science teacher Laurie Doss and her team of high school students from the Marvelwood School in Kent, CT, fared during their 10-day research trip to the remote Cocobolo Nature Reserve. The team is studying and banding migratory birds that winter in the area’s dense rainforest habitat. This is very exciting, but I have to admit that I can’t wait to hear if they had an opportunity to check in on one of the region’s other natural treasures: the Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus).
Harlequin Frogs are somewhat of a poster child for a very sad phenomenon, the global decline of amphibian species. No other group was hit as hard in recent decades as these colorful, clumsy little frogs and the entire group of Latin American harlequin frogs (at least 100 species) has virtually gone extinct…
The Limosa Harlequin Frog is one of the luckier ones. Formally labeled as ‘Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a few populations still survive in the wild in their native eastern Panama, but little is known of their population status or their overall biology. Even though this species had been seen in Cocobolo Nature Preserve in the past, it had been a few years since one was observed and we were starting to get worried. You can imagine our excitement when Sean found an individual in January of last year! Things only got better when Sean and I returned in March of 2013 and found a few adult Harlequin Frogs, but also discovered recently laid eggs and a good number of young juveniles in a suitable area in the preserve!
Classic ‘string of pearls’ egg mass in a small, quiet eddy along the Atelopus’ mountain stream habitat. What a great find in 2013 after there had been no sign of this species in past years!!!
Atelopus limosus in its natural habitat – these little frogs have good taste in real estate!
See video of the eggs and young here! http://vimeo.com/63292617
This was the first time in decades that good news for any species of harlequin frog surviving in the wild could be reported. Almost at the same time the Smithsonian Institute and National Zoo announced that they had finally managed to successfully breed this same species in captivity, in an effort to establish an ‘ex-situ’ back-up population of this and other at-risk amphibians at the ‘Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project’. Hopefully things are starting to look up for the Limosa Harlequin Frog. We are certainly energized to continue studying this population and learn more about the biology and conservation challenges that face many tropical amphibians these days.
The team will be returning from the rainforest tomorrow and I can’t wait to hear what they’ve found… you’ll be one of the first to know as soon as we hear from them!
Twan Leenders
President & Executive Director
Photos and video © Twan Leenders
