Mass Extinctions? Frogs, Then Bees, and Now Bats

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Beowulf

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Something is going on but we continue ignoring the problem. I am resigned to the fact that we no longer have frogs the way we used to, those wonderful critters that gobble up insects and make our lives bearable, lol. Then I personally notice the sharp decline in our honeybee population, which could spell disaster for our crops (because of the bee's pollination activity). And now, a friend who works in the conservation department told me that most of the caves in my state will be indefinitely closed because of bats' White Nose Syndrome, which has killed off about 90% of bats in some states. Sighhh. It should be a national emergency in my opinion. Look for fewer crops from this point on, I guess, as well as a heckuva lot more insects.

90% CT Bats Are GONE!-Bats in Other States Doomed*

Many Missouri caves will close over bat disease - STLtoday.com
 
what dies comes a new life.
 
Interesting.... hmm. Perhaps the four horsemen are on the way.
 
There are other external forces that make "Mother Earth" like a mere nothing.
 
Yup, and Mother Earth can make all humanity a mere nothing.
 
Except man now has the technology and wherewithal to begin colonizing outside of Earth, say a moon base with a population of 10,000?

Total Recall anyone?
 
yeah I already knew. We have river here by the dam and it has been closed to public for last 7 years because of frogs. I remember when we first moved here years ago and I explored the river. alot of frogs there but now not much left so they are being on endangered list. I read somewhere that frogs around the world are dying of virus. One kind of virus would kill all of them. Sad. Now bats, wow. shoot. oh well. we may be next on the list.
 
jazzy said:
yeah I already knew. We have river here by the dam and it has been closed to public for last 7 years because of frogs. I remember when we first moved here years ago and I explored the river. alot of frogs there but now not much left so they are being on endangered list. I read somewhere that frogs around the world are dying of virus. One kind of virus would kill all of them. Sad. Now bats, wow. shoot. oh well. we may be next on the list.
Click to expand...

Fungi, not virus.

A lot of people suspect that the chytrid fungus is from the African clawed frogs, because the frog population didn't go into a decline until people started using clawed frogs for pregnancy tests back in the mid-1900s. Now.. you can get those as pets, and since people are dumping the waste waters down the drain from their aquariums.... It's everywhere.

Problem is... bullfrogs and African clawed frogs are immune to the fungus. Bullfrogs are commonly commercially harvested as food in Europe, southern United States, China and so on. Clawed frogs are popular lab subjects... and unfortunately... the other frogs are not immune to the disease.

The only places on Earth left that isn't experiencing a decline in the frog population are the ones that banned the import of non-native animals.
 
Bees are necessary for the propagation of our crops. It's a serious problem.

Last year we didn't have as many lizards (they eat gnats and mosquitoes) but this year we have lots.

I haven't seen as many little green tree frogs but we still have the ground toads. I can hear the peepers in the swamp.
 
Sales of these things will probably pick up then eh?

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