Freaky Frogs Might Indicate Bigger Problems

Discovery of deformed frogs in the Dishman Hills has linked Spokane to the web of worldwide concern for declining amphibian species.

Laura Ackerman, who studies amphibians and reptiles as a hobby, found a frog with an extra hind leg in a Dishman Hills Natural Area pond during summer.

Some individuals within any species will have deformities, she said. But further investigation raised her concern.

Ackerman and Larry Hampson made four separate forays in the Dishman Hills this summer and fall. Out of 143 frogs captured and released, eight - 5.6 percent - had deformities, such as extra legs.

“These were Pacific chorus frogs,” she said. “They’re commonly considered treefrogs, but they have smaller toe pads.”

This species is common and not considered endangered in any way, she said, “but other frog species have disappeared. “Now’s the time to wonder why these malformations are occurring.”

Scientists are scrambling to learn whether malformations have a link to the disappearance of golden toads in Costa Rica and extinctions of amphibians in Australia.

The red-legged frog of the Pacific Coast is in serious decline.

Most scientists believe some sort of environmental degradation is responsible for the declines and malformations.

Amphibians have very permeable skin, which makes them a valuable indicator of problems that might take longer to affect larger creatures and humans.

“The dual nature of amphibians - living on land and in the water - makes it difficult to learn where the source of the problem is,” Ackerman said. “They are just as susceptible to air quality as they are to bad water.”

Declines in amphibians have been documented for about 15 years. Yet interest in the United States didn’t perk until massive frog deformations were found by Minnesota grade school students studying a farmer’s pond in 1995.

Since then, reports of deformed frogs, toads and salamanders have increased sharply.

Minnesota, which has probed the phenomena more closely than most states, issued a controversial report this fall after two years of study. Researchers found a high correlation between water and the deformities.

The tests have not yet revealed what the harmful agent might be, said spokesmen from the National Institute of Health of Environmental Health Sciences.

Deformities in laboratory settings were developed using both surface water and ground water from sites where frog malformations have been found. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency offered to provide bottled water to residents using wells as a precaution until more is known.

Researchers warn the study is in its initial stages. Some scientists say the report was premature and has caused unwarranted concern for human health.

“We know that something in the water including ground water, is extraordinarily potent in malforming frogs,” said Dr. George Lucier, NIEHS director of Environmental Toxicology Program.

“We now need to determine if people are at risk.”

The problem could come from many sources, ranging from chemical contaminants to natural products such as pond plants or algae, he said.

In June, the U.S. Geological Survey established a center to gather reports of frog abnormalities throughout the continent.

“We need rigorous scientific investigations as well as observations from the general public to understand the observed decline in North American amphibian populations and the increase in reports of deformed amphibians,” said Denny Fenn, chief of the agency’s Biological Resources Division.

Since June, more than 300 reports of amphibian malformations have been reported and confirmed, including the sightings by Ackerman and Hampson.

Deformities, such as frogs with misshapen limbs and missing or shrunken eyes, have been reported in 37 states. The most reports are coming from Vermont, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Washington, Oregon, California and Quebec.

Patterns are beginning to develop, said Suzanne Fowle of the North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations in Jamestown, N.D.

“For instance, in the West, the treefrogs tend to have extra legs,” she said. “In the East, deformities in the northern leopard frog tend to involve missing limbs.”

Theories on causes for the malformations range from pesticides to parasites to radiation because of ozone depletion.

“Right now, scientists are trying to unravel the mystery,” Ackerman said. “You might automatically attribute deformed frogs in a farm pond to pesticides. But we’re finding malformations in the Dishman Hills Natural Area, which should be relatively protected from chemicals.”

Until the cause is understood, scientists won’t know whether humans face a risk, she said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: REPORT DEFORMED FROGS Scientists are seeking reports of areas where deformed frogs are found, but they plead that people should not capture and remove normal or deformed amphibians from their habitat. Contact the North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations at (800) 238-9801 or on the Internet at http://www.npsc.nbs.gov/narcam/ Minnesota, the leader in research on deformed amphibians, has a detailed website at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/frogs.html/