Study finds for first time frogs and other amphibians declining around US at alarming rate

A new study from the U.S. Geological Survey finds that frogs and other amphibians are disappearing from occupied sites nationwide at the rate of 3.7 percent a year. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Newly Discovered frog in Papua New Guinea - Litoria sp. nov. A beautiful member of the Litoria genimaculata group, this frog has extremely variable colour patterns and distinct yellow spots in the groin. These colorful frogs were surprisingly difficult to spot during Conservation International's September 2009 assessment, in the lush foliage along small rain forest streams in the Muller Range mountains where they live. Males were most frequently spotted when they uttered a very soft ticking sound to attract females in the vicinity. (Stephen Richards, Conservation International)

A new study has determined for the first time just how quickly frogs and other amphibians are disappearing around the United States, and the news is not good.

The U.S. Geological Study says populations of frogs, salamanders and toads have been vanishing from occupied sites at a rate of 3.7 percent a year.

That puts them on a path to disappearing from half the occupied sites nationwide in 20 years.

USGS ecologist Michael Adams says the alarming news is that even species thought to be doing OK are declining, though at a slower rate.

It has been known that amphibians are in trouble around the world from a killer fungus, habitat loss and a changing climate, but this is the first time that decline has been measured.