The tiny Panamanian golden frog, with its sunflower yellow skin and dark brown spots, is usually a symbol of good fortune.
But it appears the tropical frog's luck may have run out unless experts find a way to combat a deadly fungus threatening amphibian populations around the world.
"This is not a natural extinction event," said Allan Pessier, a scientist from San Diego Conservation Research, which has been researching the spread of the chytrid fungus. "It is caused by humans, and it is our responsibility - almost our moral responsibility - to do something about it."
Twenty-five of the world's leading amphibian veterinarians, disease researchers and animal care specialists convened this week at the San Diego Zoo to write a definitive conservation manual to combat the spread of chytrid fungus.
Central America, South America and Australia are some of the regions most affected by chytrid fungus, Pessier said. Some North American amphibians such as the mountain yellow-legged frog, native to California, and the Wyoming toad are also in danger of extinction.
Food for larger animals
Factors such as habitat loss and global warming also contribute to the declining amphibian population, but the chytrid fungus is a serious problem, said Donal Boyer, the zoo's curator of herpetology.
There are about 6 000 species of amphibians in the world, and one-third of those are endangered or threatened, Boyer said. Amphibians include frogs, salamanders and caecilians, legless animals that resemble a snake or an earthworm. They are food for larger animals and keep insect populations and algae in check.
Thought to be caused by the exportation of amphibians from their natural habitats, the fungus is killing off amphibians at an accelerated rate, Pessier said. The golden frog, for instance, is believed to be extinct in the wild, when years ago thousands of them inhabited Panama.
People would often find them in the forests and keep them for good luck. Now, the golden frogs and other amphibians are threatened by the spread of the microscopic fungus, which attaches to the animal and thickens its skin, making it more difficult to absorb the water they need.