The world’s frogs, salamanders, newts and other amphibians remain in serious trouble.

A new global assessment has found that 41% of amphibian species that scientists have studied are threatened with extinction, meaning they are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. That’s up from 39% reported in the last assessment, in 2004.

“Amphibians are the world’s most threatened animals,” said Duke University’s Junjie Yao, a frog researcher who was not involved in the study. “Their unique biology and permeable skin make them very sensitive to environmental changes.”

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The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, found that the loss of habitat from the expansion of farming and ranching is the single biggest threat to amphibians worldwide. But a growing percentage of amphibian species are now also pushed to the brink by novel diseases and climate change, the study found.

Amphibians are especially vulnerable animals. They have distinct life stages that each often require separate habitats, so they can be disrupted by changes in either aquatic or land environments, said University of Texas biologist Michael Ryan, who was not involved in the study.

They are also at risk because of their delicate skin. Most amphibians absorb oxygen to breathe through their skin, and so they do not have scales, feathers or fur to protect them. Chemical pollution, bacteria and fungal infections impact them quickly, as do heightened swings in temperature and moisture levels due to climate change.

For example, frogs are usually nocturnal. If it’s too hot, they won’t come out even at night because they would lose too much water through their skin, said Patricia Burrowes, a study co-author and researcher at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid. But remaining in sheltered resting places limits frogs’ ability to eat and to breed.

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This summer was the hottest on record for the Northern Hemisphere, and 2023 is on track to be the 2nd hottest globally, after 2016.

Juan Manuel Guayasamin, a frog biologist at the University San Francisco of Quito, Ecuador, said that advances in technology to track animals and climate variations allowed the new study to use much more precise data than the 2004 assessment.

“We have a much better understanding of some risks,” said Guayasamin, who was not involved in the report.

The study identified the greatest concentrations of threatened amphibian species in several biodiversity hotspots, including the Caribbean islands, the tropical Andes, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Other locations with large numbers of threatened amphibians include Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, southern China and the southeastern United States.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The post Amphibians are the world’s most weak animals and threats are growing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

A once-stray cat rescued from an animal shelter and adopted by a loving family is now helping people at a California airport.

Duke Ellington Morris, a 14-year-old black and white cat, became the first cat to join San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) therapy animal team, known as the “Wag Brigade,” in late May.

In 2010, Duke was rescued from the streets of San Francisco where he was found starving alongside other feral cats and taken to San Francisco Animal Care and Control. There, a 5-year-old girl spotted the tuxedo cat and her family quickly took him home.

“I can hear my daughter screaming with joy, ‘I love the black and white kitten.’ And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?'” Duke’s owner Jen Morris told SF Gate. “We met Duke and he focused on my daughter. And I figured if a cat wants a 5-year-old to be their next protector, he can’t be that bad.”

Duke Ellington Morris joined the California Airport Wag Brigade as the first cat to join the San Francisco International Airport Therapy Animal Team.
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Duke’s people were quickly impressed by his calm and warm demeanor, and had him certified as a therapy animal through the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ animal-assisted therapy program.

The special cat — named after the jazz great — has worked as an animal therapist for a decade, visiting patients in hospitals across the city to comfort them through difficult times.

Now he’s helping airport visitors relieve travel-related stress by joining the ragtag crew of SFO therapy animals, which includes several dogs, as well as a rabbit named Alex the Great and a pig named LiLou – all certified and tested therapy animals.

The non-human therapists walk through the airport terminals in “Pet Me” vests to comfort anxious travelers. The program launched in 2013 and returned in 2021 after a 20-month hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.

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DUBLIN (KPIX) – More hungry wildlife is venturing into the backyards of the Bay Area because of the drought.

The total rainfall in the Bay Area this year is well below normal and according to the United States Drought Monitor, the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa are experiencing exceptional drought conditions.

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In East Bay Regional Parks, this means wetlands and ponds are drying up and many of the native plants and trees are dying, taking a huge toll on wildlife.

“You come in – this is the best restaurant in town if you’re a deer or something,” says Dayle Hall.

He has fenced off deer around his vegetable garden and other parts of the property. Hall has lived on the border of Las Trampas Regional Park for 10 years and sees plenty of wildlife moving through the area but says there is more than ever this year.

“We get a lot of deer coming down in search of food – food, water, whatever,” he says.

The drought is taking its toll, according to experts at East Bay Regional Parks.

“This is one of the worst years we have ever known. We see that many of our ponds and streams dry out extremely early, ”says Matt Graul, Chief of Stewardship of the EBRPD.

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This means that all kinds of animals come into the neighborhood in greater numbers and more frequently to look for something to eat or drink

“Coyotes move to areas they haven’t moved to before, again because they’re looking for water,” says Peter Flowers, who runs the Lindsay Wildlife Hospital in Walnut Creek.

Quite a few people in West Dublin have captured coyotes wandering the neighborhoods with surveillance cameras at home and then posted their footage on social media sites like NextDoor.

Dayle says he also sees more wild turkeys, skunks, and raccoons.

“Animals usually come later. I would say earlier in the evening, when it’s not that dark, they are a bit more confident or desperate, however you want to look at it, ”he says.

EBRPD officials say they already have plans to make their country more drought resilient. It is planned to increase the water capacity in all parks by expanding existing ponds and restoring natural streams.

“Now we just want to speed up our efforts and what can we do, things that we have planned in a couple of years and say how can we do it faster? possible because we really don’t have time to wait any longer, ”says Graul.

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Flowers says while the animals are stressed from the drought and may be roaming the neighborhood more regularly, it’s important not to expose them to food or water. He says the animals will become dependent on it and will never return to their natural habitat.

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