academic study
Join Us for the Frog Fungus Survey
Saturday, July 14th, 12-6 pm
In the 20th century the frog Xenopus laevis was widely used as a pregnancy test. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, Xenopus can carry – without harm to itself – the chytrid fungus, which is deadly to most frogs. Shortly after Typhoid Mary spread disease among the people of New York, Xenopus started spreading chytrid around the world, killing most frogs on contact and resulting in the extinction of a number of amphibian species in the wild. Right now about 3,900 amphibians, over half of all species known to science, are endangered. Help us discover if Xenopus is still spreading chytrid around New York City. Please visit your local pet shop and buy a Xenopus frog! New York City pet stores sell them cheap, sometimes under the name “Underwater Frog”, or “African Clawed Frog”. [continue reading…]
