Cocobolo Nature Reserve Monitoring
I’m leaving Saturday for another round of research and monitoring on the endangered Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) monitoring with Alex Shepack, Michael Roy, and Abel Batista in the wonderful Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Eastern Panama. We’re looking for more clues on the enigmatic behavior of the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus in the area and the mechanisms that allow some local frogs to survive. In addition we’ll be setting up opportunities for student research on the project through the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and Yale...
Read MoreLimosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosa)
This is what it is all about – being able to see healthy Limosa Harlequin Frogs (Atelopus limosus) in their natural environment and trying to unlock the secrets of this population through our research in Cocobolo Nature Reserve, Panama. Hopefully we can we help to expand the size of this population through careful habitat management and apply the lessons learned elsewhere to allow other populations of this, and some of the many other endangered amphibians in the world to return where they belong: in a healthy environment. Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreLimosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) eggs and tadpoles by Twan Leenders
Following up on yesterday’s post on the Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) we’re currently checking on in Panama here’s HD video of eggs and tadpoles filmed last March by Twan. Here’s hoping more results like this are coming soon!
Read MoreChecking on the Limosa Harlequin Frog
Twan and I are currently checking in on the Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) population in Panama in our continued effort to survey their health and status. This past January I visited them and brought back the great news that their population was still holding steady. During the time I surveyed them I found four adults, six sub-adults, and 17 metamorphs. I even found adults higher up in the preserve than previously spotted leading to the suspicion that the population may be increasing. This theory is something we are exploring and will try to confirm during this trip. When we...
Read MoreLimosa Harlequin Frog
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)....
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