Image: Brian Gratwicke
The last known Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frog has died.
The species, not even discovered until 2005, is now extinct.
The last of its kind, the male frog named “Toughie”, was collected in Panama when a team of herpetologists were on an expedition to study a deadly chytrid fungus that is currently decimating amphibian populations worldwide.
For the past 11 years, Toughie has resided at an exhibit at Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Despite efforts by several different teams, captive breeding programs have all failed for this species.
The Rabbs’ species once thrived in forest canopies of central Panama. They were fairly large in size and were capable of gliding from tree to tree by spreading their webbed hands and feet.
Toughie, the last of his species. Image: Brian Gratwicke
This species was unique in that the majority of the parenting duties were the responsibility of the fathers. The highly territorial males guarded the water-filled tree holes used for breeding and caring for the young, and the tadpoles got their nutrition from feeding on skin cells of their father. Lovely!
Some scientists are hopeful that the species is not actually extinct. Because these amphibians are so elusive, some think that there may still be some of them alive in the canopy.
However, most are not optimistic.
Jonathan Kolby, the director of the Honduras Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Center said, “The habits of this genus can make them extremely difficult to find if they remain high up in the trees. Being that this species breeds in tree cavities up in the canopy, I would hope that this behavior offers some protection from exposure to chytrid fungus, although the species was reported to have become much less common after the arrival of chytrid in the region.”
Only time will tell, but for now it looks like we’ll need to say our goodbyes to this unique and irreplaceable species.
