The preferred sound here is "ribbit," rather than "croak." The critically endangered Lake Titicaca Frog recently made a major leap forward. Frogs in captivity in their native country of Peru have laid fertile eggs for the first time ever.
This isn't a success story ... yet. The tadpoles died, but it's a big deal, say officials with the Denver Zoo, who are helping out on the project. The last time a Lake Titicaca Frog spawned in captivity was about 40 years ago at the Bronx Zoo.
This latest bit of promise comes from a report by Scientific American:
"Biologically unique, the Lake Titicaca frog is covered by loose folds of skin that allow it to breathe indefinitely underwater by absorbing oxygen from the water. Found only in the vicinity of South America's largest lake, straddling the Peru-Bolivia border, the species has seen its population drop precipitously since it was first brought to the world's attention by a Jacques Cousteau documentary in 1971."
A Lake Titicaca frog in a Peru aquarium. Photo Credit: Denver Zoo
Lake Titicaca Frogs are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' Red List, due to pollution, habitat loss and invasive species.
They're also threatened by human consumption. Wrinkly frog legs? No. Superstitious beliefs that the frogs have medicinal and aphrodisiac properties, according to the Denver Zoo.
Zoo officials estimate that 150 of the frogs are killed every day in Peru for human consumption; believers use a blender to make them into soup.
So the Denver Zoo has been working with staff at the University of Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima to set up a holding facility for wild Lake Titicaca frogs. The Denver people also have put together an exhibit on the frogs at a Lima zoo.
It's touchy. The Americans don't want to tell the Peruvians their beliefs are wrong, only that the Denver experts are helping keep the frogs from going extinct.
The Year of the Frog passed in 2008, but 2011 also could mark a milestone for these Lake Titicaca creatures.
More on the Denver Zoo's conservation work with the Lake Titicaca Frogs is available at the zoo website.
Denver Zoo Outreach Specialist Matt Herbert and Denver Zoo Area Supervisor Tom Weaver in Peru's Lake Titicaca in snorkel gear holding a smaller Lake Titicaca Frog. Photo Credit: Denver Zoo
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