Sehuencas water frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sehuencas water frog |
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The Sehuencas water frog (Telmatobius yuracare) is a special kind of frog. It belongs to a group called Telmatobiidae, which are often found in water. This frog lives only in Bolivia, which means it is endemic there. You can find it in wet places like steamy montane forests, clear rivers, and swampy freshwater marshes. Sadly, this frog is in danger because it is losing its habitat (the place where it lives). For many years, from 2008 to 2019, no one could find any of these frogs in the wild.
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Saving the Sehuencas Water Frog
Many people are working hard to save the Sehuencas water frog. A special place called the K'ayra Center helps with this. It is run by a scientist named Teresa Camacho Badani. She studies amphibians (like frogs) and works at the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d'Orbigny (MHNC) in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
The Story of Romeo
In 2009, a single male Sehuencas water frog was found in the wild. People named him "Romeo." He was brought to the K'ayra Center. Many worried that Romeo was the very last of his kind. This is called an endling, meaning the last known animal of a species.
Scientists in Bolivia had been searching for more Sehuencas water frogs for a long time. They especially hoped to find females. Their goal was to start a breeding program to help the frogs have babies in a safe place.
Finding a Match for Romeo
To help raise money and tell people about the frogs' problem, conservationists came up with a fun idea. Groups like Global Wildlife Conservation and the Bolivian Amphibian Initiative made a profile for Romeo. They put it on Match.com, which is an online dating website. This helped get the word out about Romeo and his need for a "Juliet."
A New Discovery
In January 2019, good news arrived! Teresa Camacho Badani led a team into a cloud forest in Bolivia. They found five more Sehuencas water frogs! There were three males and two females. This was a huge discovery!
Helping the New Frogs
The newly found frogs needed some help. They were treated for a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis. This disease is very dangerous for amphibians and has caused many of them to disappear. After they get better, Romeo will finally meet one of the female frogs, who they call Juliet.
Even with these new frogs, scientists are still worried. There might not be enough frogs left in the wild to create a strong population on their own. So, breeding them in a safe center is still seen as the best way to help this special species survive and grow.
