Reptile & Amphibian Forums

PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN (Colorado) 20 August 10 Northern leopard frog back at Sand Dunes - Gone for 40 years, it's a mystery why they disappeared and how they came back. (Erin Smith)
Northern leopard frogs have been absent from Great Sand Dunes National Park since the 1960s. Park officials were thinking about reintroducing them.
But this month, hikers led by park Ranger Patrick Myers stumbled upon a surprise: a colony of northern leopard frogs at the western edge of the park near the lakes, an area leased by The Nature Conservancy.
In a place where elk bed down at night, the tiny frog is thriving.
Frogs and amphibians are signs of a healthy ecosystem and their loss is a signal to humans that things are unhealthy in the environment, Myers said. He said he's excited about the return of the little frog.
Myers and the hikers came upon the frogs while on a hike deep into the park. It was one of those thrilling moments.
“While not actually stumbling, we did a two-step when we saw one. Leopard frogs are disappearing throughout most of North America,” he said.
“It shows that this wetland is healthy, and whatever caused them to disappear may not be a problem anymore. Amphibian disappearance throughout the world has been linked to various causes, including introduced pathogens and chemical contamination of wetlands. It is unknown what caused the frogs to disappear from the park's wetlands 40 years ago.”
Northern leopard frog adults are up to 4 inches long, but the newly discovered frogs were probably less than a year old and only about 2 inches long. The presence of young frogs means they are reproducing at South Twin Lake, Myers said.
There are no estimates of the number of frogs.
They are in an area where other frogs, toads and salamanders are in abundance. The lakes themselves are surrounded by reeds taller than Myers, who is 6 feet tall.
"This ecologically sensitive area, currently part of federal lands leased by The Nature Conservancy, is accessible to the public only on guided programs," Myers said.
The tiny creatures are susceptible to bacteria carried by humans, so before touching a frog, toad or salamander, Myers cleans his hands, pulling out a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Now the park must look at removing or changing an exhibit at the visitor center declaring the frogs gone from the area.
Where the frogs came from is unknown, but it is possible they migrated from other wetlands in the eastern side of the San Luis Valley. Leopard frogs are known to live at Blanca Wetlands, a restored wetland complex four miles to the south of the national park.
Northern leopard frog back at Sand Dunes

WHITE MOUNTAIN INDEPENDENT (New Mexico) 24 August 10 Reservoir is prime spot for Leaping Leopard Frogs (Mary Stuever)
Alluringly located along one of the most traveled hiking trails on the Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico, Cimarroncito Reservoir's clear water sparkles in the midday sun. More than one trail weary, grungy hiker who has sported a backpack for numerous days, has gazed down on these forbidden waters and nursed a hatred for the rule that making the lake off limits to swimming.
It is no consolation that the policy has been in effect for at least a half century. The primary obsession for the ban has been human-centric...the reservoir provides the source of drinking water for the town of Cimarron. Grungy scouts would muddy the water and provide a possible source of infectious diseases. Thus, tucked up next to the very charismatic Cathedral Rock, the lake provides a scenic backdrop for postcard perfect pictures and impossible daydreams of midday plunges.
The lake also provides prime habitat for the Northern Leopard Frog. Bruce Christman, an amphibian expert in New Mexico, was recently surveying the area and found a population of the frogs. "This really is remarkable," Christman commented regarding the Scout-owned, high mountain lake. "If the policy had allowed swimming, all the sunscreen and bug dope on the thousands of scouts that cooled off in the waters would have adversely affected the water quality, making it less hospitable for amphibians."
The Northern Leopard Frog was once a common resident throughout New Mexico, but their numbers (and appropriate habitat) are dwindling. Years ago, increasing populations of bullfrogs were topping the list of reasons for Leopard Frog decline. The bullfrogs, introduced to the state for their large legs which are considered a delicacy, would dominate the native frogs, eat their young and take over their habitat.
Bullfrogs also help spread the most recent threat to Leopard frogs. In addition to reduced habitat and water quality issues, frog populations are suffering serious decline due to a chytrid fungus. Although chytrid fungi are among the planet's oldest organisms, this one-abbreviated as Bd-was first identified in 1999 and is now detrimentally impacting the majority of the world's 6,000 species of amphibians. The fungus stimulates a disease that causes a thickening of the skin. Since amphibians exchange electrolytes and intake water through their skin, imbalances caused by the disease can be fatal.
In addition to surveying the region for frogs, Christman collects samples to test for the fungus. Scientists suspect the fungus, which may naturally occur in amphibian populations in eastern North America, is new to the West. Although the disease can be carried by birds and other wildlife, people often unknowingly carry the disease on their boots and equipment. For example, an angler who fishes one lake with the fungus can take it to the next lake if she doesn't clean her gear in between the two destinations. Likewise, releasing unwanted pet frogs into the wild can provide another avenue for unknowing disease spread.
Until the tissue samples are analyzed, we don't know if the frogs of the sparkling Cimarroncito Reservoir are fungus-free. These results may take months. Now, when asked why no swimming is allowed, one can still cite the domestic water source issue, but even more understandable to the sweaty hiker is the knowledge that swimming is allowed, but only for frogs, fish and other wildlife that depend on clean waters.
Reservoir is prime spot for Leaping Leopard Frogs