Frog Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife (Firefly Animal Rescue) - Softcover

Hamilton, Garry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552975967 ISBN 13: 9781552975961

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2004

Synopsis

From the book:
"It's on our watch that amphibians are checking out. I think we ought to be very concerned about that."

Frogs are found everywhere: from the tropics to north of the Arctic Circle, from the heights of the Himalayan Mountains to the driest deserts. Frogs live on every continent except Antarctica. They live part of their lives in water and part on land.

Frogs absorb moisture and even breathe through their skin. Unfortunately, their skin is also super-absorbent to deadly pollutants and their eggs are thin, jellylike bubbles that absorb waterborne pollutants. Consequently, frogs are first indicators of air, water and land pollutants, acting as a barometer for measuring the health of the environment. As such, they provide a valuable warning about our future if toxic elements continue to be released into the air, soil and water.

Frog Rescue profiles the disappearance and endangerment of frogs around the world. The book also covers a range of innovative programs used around the world to protect this vulnerable species.

Some of the frog species included are:

• Australian frogs that rear their young in their stomachs
• Poison dart frogs
• Costa Rican golden toads.

About the Firefly Animal Rescue series:

The Firefly Animal Rescue identifies endangered and threatened species and what is being done to protect them. Combining lively, accessible text and stunning color photographs, each book provides a detailed overview of the species, describing its characteristics, behavior, habits, physiology and more.

"These attractive books are a call to action... fascinating readable accounts."
- School Library Journal

"Succinct introductions to the science and practice of wildlife conservation... written in accessible, lively language."
- Booklist

About this title

From the Author:

Watching my three-year-old son chase a frog recently it struck me how these odd creatures help put so many of us in touch with the natural world. Why, then, are we so focussed on animals like pandas and whales -- animals few people ever encounter -- when it comes to the fight to save endangered species? One reason is that frog conservation simple doesn't get a lot of attention.

While researching Frog Rescue I quickly realized there is no justification for this. Frogs are arguably far more fascinating than many of the larger species that normally hog the spotlight. Ever heard of the gastric brooding frogs of Australia-frogs that hatch their eggs in their stomachs? And they're also now the central characters in a worldwide conservation drama featuring mysterious deformities, sudden extinctions and hair-raising species recovery programs.

In this book you'll meet some of the people who are devoting their entire life's work to the behind-the-scenes challenges of frog conservation. You get introduced to some of the science behind understanding frog declines. You'll also get an up-close look at some projects that are attempting to save individual species in various corners of the globe. As these examples will demonstrate, bringing frogs back from the brink of extinction often involves a Herculean battle against time and the elements. And even then there is no guarantee of success.

If you're like me you'll take this journey into frog conservation and come away with a new sense for why we need to start rethinking how we treat the world around us. And you'll never look at a frog in the same way again.

About the Author:

Garry Hamilton writes articles focusing on science, natural history, ecology, evolution and conservation. His work has appeared in magazines worldwide, including Audubon, Equinox, New Scientist, The Ecologist and Wildlife Conservation.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1552975967
• ISBN 13: 9781552975961
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64