Panamanian golden frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Panamanian golden frog |
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Atelopus varius zeteki Dunn, 1933 |
The Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki) is a special type of toad that lives only in Panama. It's also called the Cerro Campana stubfoot toad or Zetek's golden frog. These frogs live near streams in the cloudy mountain forests of west-central Panama.
Sadly, the Panamanian golden frog is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). This means it's very close to disappearing forever. In fact, it might have been extinct in the wild since 2007, meaning there are no more living freely in nature. To try and save them, some frogs have been taken to live in captivity (like zoos or special centers) where they can breed safely. The name zeteki and "Zetek's golden frog" honor James Zetek, a scientist who studied insects.
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About the Panamanian Golden Frog
Even though it's called a "frog," the Panamanian golden frog is actually a true toad. It belongs to the Bufonidae family. It was first thought to be a type of Atelopus varius, but now scientists know it's its own unique species.
This toad is a national symbol in Panama and is known for being very beautiful. Its skin can be light yellow-green or bright gold. Some frogs even have black spots on their backs and legs. Female frogs are usually bigger than males. Females are about 4.5 to 6.3 centimeters (1.8 to 2.5 inches) long and weigh 4 to 15 grams (0.14 to 0.53 ounces). Males are a bit smaller, from 3.5 to 4.8 centimeters (1.4 to 1.9 inches) long and weighing 3 to 12 grams (0.11 to 0.42 ounces).
How Panamanian Golden Frogs Protect Themselves: Toxins
The Panamanian golden frog has strong toxins (poisons) in its skin. These toxins include special chemicals called bufadienolides and tetrodotoxin-like compounds. One of these, zetekitoxin AB, is very powerful. It can block nerve signals in anyone who touches it.
These frogs use their toxins to protect themselves from most predators. Scientists have tested the poison on mice. Large amounts can be deadly in about 20 to 30 minutes. Before death, the mice have strong muscle spasms until their breathing and blood flow stop.
Where Panamanian Golden Frogs Live
The Panamanian golden frog is found only in Panama. They live near mountain streams on the eastern side of the Tabasará mountain range. This area is in the Coclé and Panamá provinces.
Their habitat used to reach as far east as El Copé in western Coclé Province. However, a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis caused the frog population in El Copé to disappear quickly in 2004.
Sadly, the places where these frogs live are shrinking every year. This happens because of small farms, large-scale agriculture, logging, livestock grazing, new industries, and building homes. Many Panamanian golden frogs are now kept in special breeding programs. More than 50 places in North America and Panama are helping to care for them.
Life and Behavior of the Panamanian Golden Frog
The Panamanian golden frog can live for about 12 years.
This toad is special because it communicates in unique ways. Besides making sounds, it also waves its hands! This is like a type of sign language. They use these waves to talk to other frogs, whether it's a rival or a possible mate. Scientists think this waving developed because the fast-moving streams where they live are very noisy. The sounds would be hard to hear over the water.
Male frogs usually stay near the streams where they breed. Female frogs, however, go into the forests when it's not breeding season. A male frog will make a soft call to attract a female. If a female crosses his path, he will grab onto her. If she is ready to mate, she will let him stay. If not, she will try to shake him off. Mating can last from a few days to several months. The female usually lays her eggs in a shallow stream.
Life Cycle
The Panamanian golden frog goes through four main stages: larva (or tadpole), juvenile, subadult, and adult.
- Tadpole Stage: The eggs hatch into tadpoles after 2 to 10 days. At this stage, they live completely in the water. They prefer water temperatures between 20.4 and 21.3 degrees Celsius (68.7 to 70.3 degrees Fahrenheit) and depths of 5 to 35 centimeters (2 to 14 inches). They often rest in shallow pools below waterfalls. Tadpoles don't go into the fast-moving parts of the stream. They cling to surfaces using their flat bellies. Tadpoles are usually about 5.8 millimeters (0.23 inches) long and 4.3 millimeters (0.17 inches) wide. They are dark brown to black on top, with golden specks. These specks turn dark green when they change into frogs. Tadpoles eat algae and spend 6 to 7 months growing and developing.
- Juvenile Stage: Young frogs are called juveniles. They can live both in water and on land, but they don't move as far as older frogs. They are usually found within 2 meters (6.5 feet) of their streams. Like adults, juveniles climb into trees to avoid predators. However, because they are small, they can't climb as high. When it rains a lot, juveniles move away from the open stream sides. This is where adult males, who are very protective of their space, often roam. Juveniles are about 8.4 to 17.1 millimeters (0.33 to 0.67 inches) long from snout to vent. Their backs are a deep green, matching the moss on rocks near the streams. They also have dark brown or black spots. Their bellies are white or golden yellow.
- Subadult Stage: Subadults can move around more freely. They are sometimes found near adult males, which is interesting because adult males usually prefer to be alone and can be aggressive towards other males. Subadults are about 28.3 millimeters (1.1 inches) long and weigh about 1.1 grams (0.04 ounces). They are more greenish than the bright golden adults. Their patterns are also darker than those of adult frogs.
Behavior
Panamanian golden frogs communicate using sounds from their throats and by waving their hands. These movements can be friendly or a warning. This frog species doesn't have eardrums, but it can still hear and respond to sounds from other frogs. Male frogs react to certain calls by turning to face the sound and making their own calls back. This special call helps male frogs show their position during fights.
Like Atelopus varius, the Panamanian golden frog is very territorial. It tends to stay in the same area for most of its life. If another male frog enters its territory, it will make sounds to warn the intruder. If that doesn't work, it will defend its space aggressively. When they meet another male, they will wave their front feet as a sign of defense.
Even without eardrums, the Panamanian golden frog can figure out where a sound is coming from. This is called directional hearing. In most other frog species, the eardrum helps with this. It's amazing how this tiny frog has found another way to hear directionally.
When a Panamanian golden frog sees a predator, it often waves and lifts its foot. This draws attention to its bright, beautiful colors. These colors are a warning that the frog is poisonous. This usually makes the predator decide not to eat the frog. If the predator keeps coming closer, the frog will wave its foot more often and make louder sounds.
However, their poison isn't perfect protection. Some animals, like the snake Liophis epinephalus, can handle the frog's poison. The frogs have different ways to avoid predators during the day and night. Adult males are active on the ground during the day. But at night, they climb into trees and perch there. This is probably a way to stay safe. If a predator comes at night, the frog can't rely on seeing it to escape. By climbing a tree, they can hear predators coming or feel their weight on the branch. These advantages are better than hiding on the ground.
Saving the Panamanian Golden Frog
The Panamanian golden frog started disappearing from its mountain homes in the late 1990s. This led to scientists starting rescue efforts that are still going on today. The last time these frogs were filmed in the wild was in 2006 by the BBC for the show Life in Cold Blood with David Attenborough. The few remaining frogs were taken into captivity. The filming location was kept secret to protect them from people trying to illegally catch them.
Even though the frogs are doing well in captivity, putting them back into the wild won't stop the threat of chytridiomycosis. There are no cures or ways to control this disease in the wild yet, but scientists are working on it. One idea was to use a special bacterium called Janthinobacterium lividium that makes a chemical against infections. But the skin of the Panamanian golden frogs wasn't right for this bacterium.
The San Diego Zoo started a conservation program and got their first frogs in 2003. Since then, they have successfully bred 500 frogs in captivity. They won't release them into the wild until the fungal disease is less of a threat. The San Diego Zoo also sends money to Panama to help with conservation efforts there.
Many amphibian populations, including the Panamanian golden frog, have declined a lot. This is likely due to the fungal infection chytridiomycosis. This fungus reached El Valle, where the Panamanian golden frog lives, in 2006. Other things like habitat loss and pollution might also have played a role.
The temperature where these amphibians live might be connected to chytridiomycosis. The fungus grows better in colder conditions. If it gets cold, the frogs' behavior and immune system might change just as more fungus spores are released. When these frogs get infected, their body temperature rises to fight the fungus. However, even if the infection seems to go away, it can come back. Another study found that dry conditions helped infected frogs live about 25 days longer, while warmer temperatures only added 4 days.
Besides the fungal disease, these frogs are also threatened by human development. When trees are cut down for houses and cities, the frogs' habitat is destroyed. Other threats include farming, pollution, the pet trade, and fish farming.
Project Golden Frog is a conservation project that includes scientists, educators, and zoos in Panama and the United States. Their goals are to learn more about the Panamanian golden frog, work together to save them, make people more aware of amphibian declines worldwide, and encourage more respect for wildlife. They also want to protect more land for endangered species. This group uses education, field studies, breeding frogs in captivity, and financial support to help save these frogs.
Two important efforts have been made to save these frogs. The Amphibian Recovery Conservation Coalition started in 2004. They sent endangered amphibians to the US, believing it was a safer place for them. In 2005, the Houston Zoo opened the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC) in Panama. This center provides a protected place for the endangered frogs in their home country. EVACC has become a popular place for tourists, and researchers closely watch the frog populations there.
In early 2006, EVACC became too full to hold more golden frogs. To keep collecting them, they partnered with the Hotel Campestre in El Valle. Rooms 28 and 29 of the hotel were filled with terrariums as a temporary solution. This was one of the conservation efforts mentioned in Elizabeth Kolbert's book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. Over 300 frogs were kept in this "golden frog hotel." They received daily cleaning, 24-hour room service, and special cricket meals until there was space for them at EVACC.
Experiments to Help Frogs
Before the Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus spread to the Panamanian golden frog's habitat, conservation groups collected frogs and placed them in special captive colonies to keep them safe. The skin of amphibians has many different bacteria that can help protect them from diseases. Researchers studied the bacteria on the skin of wild and captive Panamanian golden frogs from the same group. They wanted to see how living in captivity for a long time affected these bacteria.
They found that the types of bacteria and how they were organized were very different between wild and captive frogs. However, after about eight years in captivity, the offspring of the original captive frogs still shared 70% of their skin bacteria with wild frogs. This shows that the bacteria on an animal's skin can change a lot in captivity, but most of the important bacteria can still be kept.
It's unlikely that releasing frogs from captive colonies back into the wild will work unless scientists find ways to control chytridiomycosis in nature. Researchers have tried using Janthinobacterium lividium to control skin temperature, hoping it would keep the fungus away. It seemed to help at first, but the frogs started dying after two weeks because of the Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus. Other methods focusing on physical traits and genetics have also been used for conservation. Scientists decided that A. varius and A. zeteki are separate species. They are hard to tell apart by how they look, but easier to tell apart by their DNA.
Panamanian Golden Frogs in Culture
The Panamanian golden frog is a national symbol in Panama. It appears on lottery tickets and in local stories. People believe that when the toad dies, it turns to gold and brings good luck to anyone who sees it.
In 2010, the Panamanian government made August 14 "National Golden Frog Day." Every year, there's a parade in the streets of El Valle de Anton to celebrate. There's also a display of Panamanian golden frogs at the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center in the El Nispero Zoo. For centuries, native people in the Panamanian forests have used the frog's very toxic skin to make poison for their arrows.
See also
In Spanish: Rana dorada panameña para niños
- Decline in amphibian populations
- Holocene Extinction
- Ecnomiohyla rabborum
