CONTRIBUTE

SALES

Home
Videos
Articles
Galleries
CONSERVATION
About Us
Contact Us

ENDANGERED
VIRAL OUTBREAK
THREATENS THE
SURVIVAL OF
AMPHIBIANS IN
SPAIN
BY RICHA MALHOTRA
OCTOBER 16 2014

Like

Tweet

A viral outbreak is killing amphibians, including frogs, toads

BACK

BLOGCOLUMNS
EXPEDITIONS

RANGER
DIARIES
SEA WILD
EARTH

SLOTHCENTRIC

and salamanders, in the Picos de Europa National Park in

Spain. As if the imminent local extinction of amphibians wasnt
grim enough in itself, their disappearance, scientists fear,

STAFF

could also tip the ecological balance in favour of species

amphibians feed on.

A team of researchers from Spain and the United Kingdom

THE WILD LIFE

WITH JASON
GOLDMAN

started monitoring amphibians in the national park in 2005

when they first noticed a die-off from viral infection. The team
is now the first to report two related, highly infectious viruses

WORLD YOUTH
RHINO SUMMIT

the ranaviruses simultaneously infecting multiple

amphibian species at several locations in Spain.

Ranavirus infection is often

RELATEDARTICLES

RELATEDARTICLES

Ranavirus infection is often

associated with severe disease and
mass deaths of amphibians but

NEW STUDY:
MALE FROGS
SOUND
SEXIER IN
STORM
DRAINS

previously decline of only one

amphibian species had been
[quantified]. Here, we show three
amphibian species showing
simultaneous population collapses in
the Picos National Park, says Stephen
J. Price, researcher at University
College London and an author of the

A diseased common
midwife toad
tadpole in Picos de
Europa National
Park. Image: Jaime
Bosch

study published today in the journal

Current Biology.

Price and his fellow researchers found Ranavirus infection

6 months ago

DESPERATELY
SEEKING:
RARE AND
ENDANGERED
FROG
LOOKING FOR
HABITAT
11 months ago

killing larvae, juveniles and adults of all the six common

amphibian species resident in the park. However, three
species the common midwife toad, alpine newt and common
toad have suffered the most, with sharp population declines
seen over 2007 to 2012.

FROGS'
LURVE
RIPPLES LEAD
PREDATORS
THEIR WAY
11 months ago

The researchers also believe that similar viruses are emerging

across Europe. In the past five years, there have been
sporadic reports of die-offs elsewhere in Europe, for instance,

EDITORSPICK

in France and Netherlands. This is obviously a worry

considering the impacts we have seen in the Picos, Price
warns.

Prices team also found a Ranavirus closely related to the one

AUTHOR POST

in the park killing a different set of amphibians at a site

located 200km away.

Amphibians do seem vulnerable right now; they are the most

threatened vertebrate group on earth. But that they rely on
land and freshwater to complete their life cycle probably
exposes them to more risks and environmental impacts than
other groups of animals, Price explains.

K. V. Gururaja, amphibian expert at the Indian Institute of

Science in Bangalore, who was not involved in the study, says
the local extinction of amphibians will disturb the food chain
and result in a spike in insect numbers.

According to Gururaja, If we isolate the infected area and

contain the spread of disease, amphibian populations might
survive elsewhere.

Undercover
pangolin
rescue ends in
two-for-one
surprise
By Sarah Keartes on 11
25 2014

CONTRIBUTORS

Image: Tero Laakso, Flickr

RICHA MALHOTRA
RICHA MALHOTRA IS A FREELANCE WRITER OF
SCIENCE, WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. A TEAHOLIC AND ASPIRING PHOTOGRAPHER, HER
FAVOURITE PROCRASTINATION ACTIVITY THESE DAYS
IS WATCHING FISHES IN HER AQUARIUM. FIND OUT
MORE AT RICHAMALHOTRA.COM OR FOLLOW HER ON
TWITTER: @RICH_MALHOTRA. VIEW MORE FROM THIS
CONTRIBUTOR

Like

Tweet

RELATED ARTICLES

REPRODUCTION

NEW STUDY:
MALE FROGS
SOUND
SEXIER IN
STORM
DRAINS

ENDANGERED

DISCOVERIES

FROGS' LURVE
RIPPLES LEAD
PREDATORS
THEIR WAY

By Justin Gregg

DESPERATELY
SEEKING:
RARE AND
ENDANGERED
FROG
LOOKING FOR
HABITAT

Tiny mientien tree

By Earth Touch

that their courtship

frogs in Taiwan are

Conservationists are

reaping the benefits

working on a deal to

of unstoppable

secure protected

human sprawl. When

land for one of

mating season rolls

South Africa's most

round, singing inside

endangered frogs:

drainage...

the Pickersgill's reed

6 months ago

frog.
11 months ago

VIEW MORE ARTICLES

By Kelly Starzak
Tngara frogs are
blissfully unaware
signals are being
intercepted by a
dangerous foe: the
fringe-lipped bat.
11 months ago

VIEW ALL CONTRIBUTORS