| Chytridiomycosis is a serious
disease in non-captive frogs caused by a fungus known as chytrid.
This fungus is almost never present in a captive environment
which prevents captive frogs from getting chytridiomycosis.
Of course if you bring a frog into captivity from the wild
it may already have this disease. Chytridiomycosis is only
one of many diseases that wild caught frogs may have, so for
this reason you should never make a pet out of a wild frog.
There is at least one species of frogs in Australia that
has become extinct as a result of chytridiomycosis. Furthermore,
there are at least seven additional frog species around the
world that chytridiomycosis has been thought to contribute
to their extinction.
Australia, Ecuador, New Zealand, Panama,
United States and Venezuela all have frog species which are
affected by chytridiomycosis. Biologists from those and other
countries around the world are working on detection and prevention
methods before more species are adversely affected. |
