Lemur Leaf Frogs, the frogPOD and our Amphibian Conservation Program featured on National Geographic's Instagram feed!

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Photo by @joelsartore | The Lemur Leaf Frog is a critically endangered species that historically occurred in Costa Rica, south through Panama into Colombia. They have suffered an estimated 80% loss of population in the last fifteen years and are still in decline. The Lemur Leaf Frog pictured here was bred in captivity from frogs collected in central Panama (El Valle de Antón) during a 2005 expedition to the region. This was part of a collaborative effort by @atlbotanical @zooatl and El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center to rescue amphibian populations from the emergent infectious disease — chytridiomycosis. This fungus, nicknamed 'chytrid' devastated 85% of the Panamanian amphibians from the area. That was ten years ago, and the Lemur Leaf Frogs collected as well as other Panamanian species are housed in the #frogPOD — a biosecure facility at the Atlanta Botanical Garden where the frogs can be studied, and bred in captivity. In critical situations like this, frogs are kept in captive assurance colonies until they can once again be safe in the wild. For updates on this particular group of Panamanian frogs and the frogPOD, please check out @frogsneedourhelp. Follow me at @joelsartore to see more stunning creatures from the #PhotoArk. #photooftheday
A photo posted by National Geographic (@natgeo) on

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