After publishing my last post, some of you inquired about what happened to the amphibians at that pond in Canyon. I was sad to report on the demise of this cohort; however, I was pleased to hear of the concern for these wonderful yet vulnerable animals. They often do not get the attention or the funding that they deserve. In this post, I’ll tell you about my amphibian work with the Wildlife Health Program and present my hypothesis on what caused the amphibian die-off. Continue reading “Looking for Trouble”
Tag: amphibians
A Grizzly Encounter
The day began like many others… Continue reading “A Grizzly Encounter”
The Plains Spadefoot Toad
I have the pleasure of working with the plains spadefoot toad (Spea bombifrons). A breeding population was recently confirmed in 2014. This video presents the bulbous tadpoles swimming in the shallow, ephemeral margins of a meadow pond. Take a closer look to see them in various stages of metamorphosis. In the Wildlife Health Program, we monitor Yellowstone’s amphibians for the presence of Chytrid fungus and Ranavirus — two deleterious diseases that have the potential to decimate populations.
A Summer in Yellowstone
This summer, I’m living and working in Yellowstone National Park! I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I am proud of myself for working hard to get myself here. “A Summer in Yellowstone” is a new blog series that I created to share my experience. Continue reading “A Summer in Yellowstone”