|  | Public Health Safety | Environmental Health

List of Extinct Species from Global Warming

By 2050 as many as 1 million species will be extinct due to global warming, environmental activists and some scientists predict. Global warming effects are altering the habitats of organisms unable to evolve fast enough to adapt to rising temperatures, according to these experts. Amphibians are most threatened, and dominate the current list of known species extinct from global warming, these scientists say.

  1. Amphibians

    • Amphibians require wet habitats for breeding, which are slowly disappearing due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall linked to global warming. Their thin skin also makes them susceptible to infection with chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis, which grows on and eventually suffocates amphibians. The congregation of amphibians in remaining wetlands increases their susceptibility to mass infection and eventual death.

    Golden Toad

    • The golden toad was native to the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica, and the only known toad to be brightly-colored. It was once observed by the thousands during mating season, and females laid between 200 to 400 eggs at a time. However, the last known sighting was in 1989, and the golden toad was officially declared extinct in 1992. It was described as the first known extinction to be mainly linked to global warming.

    Holdridge's Toad

    • The Holdridge's toad was found in the mountain ranges of Heredia in Costa Rica. The Holdridge's toad was black in color and smaller than most toads. It was a unique species as it was both deaf and mute. Although mating season for the Holdridge's toad was not observed since 1986, it was only put on the endangered list in 2006. It has since been declared extinct as no sightings were reported.

    Carrikeri Harlequin Frog

    • The Harlequin frog contained approximately 110 known species, and an estimated two-thirds were considered extinct during the '90s. The Carrikeri Harelquin frog, native to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains of Magdalena province in Colombia, is unique as it has distinct orange markings that separate it from other Harelquin frog species. It was last sighted in the early '90s, and was classified as extinct. It was rediscovered by a team of scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme.

Environmental Health - Related Articles