Frog

Afrana

Distribution and status

Frogs are found nearly worldwide, but they do not occur in Antarctica and are not present on most oceanic islands.

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In many parts of the world the frog populations have declined drastically over the last few decades. Many environmental scientists feel that amphibians, and frogs in particular, may be excellent biological indicators of ecosystem function because of their place in the food web, their permeable skins, their typically bi-phasic life history (in both water and on land), and how diverse and dense they have historically been in many areas. Although habitat loss is certainly one of the most important features of most declines, pollutants, climate change, parasitic infestation, introduction of non-indigenous predators/competitors, and infectious diseases (see Chitrid fungus) have also been implicated.

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