A critically endangered frog that was on the verge of extinction not long ago has made a comeback, thanks to scientists.
The dusky gopher frog, native to Mississippi and known for its snore-like call, was ubiquitous less than 100 years ago, but fewer than 50 remained in just one pond in 2005, Courthouse News Service reported.
In early June, American Conservation Experience interns Jackson Hutchinson and Megan Spina spearheaded the release of more than 500 adult frogs, which they had raised in tanks at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. This year, they raised 757 tadpoles, giving them a protected environment, pH-balanced water, and algae wafers to supplement their diet.
"We can get survival rates above 80%," biologist and dusky gopher frog expert Joseph Pechmann told the outlet. "So, the frog is doing much better now than it was in the mid-2000s."
The species' decline was mostly the result of habitat destruction by the timber and agriculture industries, and the frog behaviors make things difficult, too.
Though the frogs are terrestrial, females lay their eggs in ephemeral ponds, which dry out in winter and "are therefore free from fish that would eat their eggs and tadpoles," according to the National Wildlife Federation.
The frogs also live in gopher tortoise burrows, which is how they got their name. But gopher tortoises are a threatened species, so there are few burrows for the dusky gopher frogs to call home.
This recovery plan, in the works under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 2015, is one of many similar conservation efforts nationwide. The California red-legged frog has made an assisted comeback as well, though 40% of all amphibians in the world are at risk.
"There are so many species we take for granted. It's like the tragedy of the commons," Spina told Courthouse News Service. "In my view, we kind of have a responsibility to bring [back] these frogs because we endangered them in the first place."
Thanks to her and others' efforts, there are now hundreds of dusky gopher frogs spread across at least seven locations. Three years ago, researchers found fully wild dusky gopher frogs.
"They are naturally breeding now, which is fantastic," Hutchinson said.
To ensure the survival of endangered species, you can get involved in local climate issues, including by helping to safeguard key areas with high-risk animals.
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