Why Are Amphibian Populations Declining What is being done to help Amphibians Canada Species At Risk Responding to an Amphibian Extinction Crisis

CANADIAN SPECIES AT RISK Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) is responsible for assessing the status of wild species at risk in Canada. COSEWIC categories of risk: Extinct species - a species that no longer exists. Extirpated species - a species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere in the wild. Endangered - A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction. Threatened - A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. Special Concern - A species that is particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events but is not an endangered or threatened species. Canadian Amphibians at Risk Endangered Threatened Special Concern Northern cricket frog Northern leopard frog (southern mountain population) Oregon spotted frog Rocky mountain tailed frog Small-mouthed salamander Tiger salamander (southern mountain population) Dusky salamander Coastal giant salamander Fowler's toad Great basin spadefoot Jefferson salamander Coast tailed frog Coeur d'Alene Salamander Great Plains Toad Northern leopard frog (western boreal/prairie populations) Red-legged frog Spring salamander Western toad Canadian amphibian species at risk whose range includes Ontario THE STORY OF THE JEFFERERSON SALAMANDER… Pure Jefferson salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) populations are difficult to recognize and therefore assess because they often coexist with unisexual Ambystoma hybrids. The status of Jefferson salamanders is uncertain and their ecology poorly understood throughout much of their range, including the USA. In Canada, the only populations confirmed are in the Niagara escarpment area of southern Ontario, although a pure population may have been found closer to the GTA. The major causes of Jefferson salamander decline are habitat destruction and hybridization with other Ambystomids. Hybridization most likely occurred in the past but only on the periphery of populations. Jefferson salamanders will hybridize with blue-spotted salamanders and hybrid populations can maintain themselves with female blue-spotted's. This specimen may look like a Jefferson but because of geography and genetics we know that it is not © Dave Ireland THE STORY OF THE NORTHERN CRICKET FROG… The Northern cricket frog is most likely extirpated from Canada. The reasons are complex but include human-induced fluctuating water levels, and the dredging of canals and use of quarries as garbage dumps. Canals and quarries are critical habitat for these small treefrogs. A Canadian-based Recovery Team was established in 1991 and a Recovery Plan was approved in 1997. Individual animals were collected from the wild in Ohio and raised at the Toronto Zoo with the hopes of re-introducing tadpoles in 4 habitats in southern Ontario. However, the rapid reproduction, short lifespan (~16 months), and specific aquatic habitat requirements of the Northern cricket frog has made recovery efforts, including husbandry and captive breeding, very difficult. The last Northern cricket frog in Canada was observed on Pelee Island in 1987, and was classified as Endangered by COSEWIC in 1990 © Bob Johnson ©2010 Toronto Zoo. All rights reserved. Images not to be reproduced.    Sitemap     admin

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