Frog Fall

July 21
ShareTheTruth mascot

Among many fitting mascots for global warming, the most compelling one of all might be Bufo periglenes, the golden toad of Monteverde:

"The reward for the finder of this marvellous creature is sublime. Anyone who spies the glittering brilliance of the frog is at first astounded by its beauty and overwhelmed with the excitement and joy of discovery; almost simultaneously he may experience great fear. The story continues that any man who finds the legendary frog finds happiness....One story tells of a man who found the frog, captured it, but then let it go because he did not recognise happiness when he had it; another released the frog because he found happiness too painful."
J. Savage, On the Trail of the Golden Frog

This breathtaking creature made but a blip of an appearance to Science. It was discovered in the 60s, and over the next two decades it would awe scientists, schoolchildren alike, evoking wonder and prompting extensive study. But where once upon a time the puddles on the forest floor saw hundreds of bright orange toads, climbing atop one another, ready to mate during the few weeks they could once a year, not one has been found since 1989, when the last male was spotted, unable to find a partner.

The golden toad
Photo Credit

Incidentally, the puddles on the ground nowadays are also different: shortlived if not completely dried out. Every year since the mid-70s, the number of mistless days in the Monteverde forest preserve has increased, caused by a rise in sea surface temperatures which elevates the cloud line which, in turn, fails to impart the proper moisture conditions required for the toad's survival.

So why should anyone care? It's not just that the frog was cute, nor is it just 'cause extinction sucks. Bufo periglenes, the first documented victim of global climate change, was a creature that survived tens, maybe hundreds or thousands, of thousands of years of climate change – the slow, gradual kind that provides enough time for species to adapt – but not this. This time, its home got hot way too fast.

Sharethetruth's mascot is the toad. Expect to see him around, once again, if only for just a little while longer.

UPDATE 7/28: Our toad is now in living color, ready for pre-order on shirts and postcards!

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