Goodbye, frog and toad

Amphibian numbers in the United States are plummeting, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

Nevada’s yellow-legged frog and Colorado’s boreal toad (pictured) are among the seven species of amphibians facing a 50 percent drop in their numbers within the next seven years if the current trend continues, according to the study published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Scientists believe that a number of factors are contributing to rapid amphibian decline, including pesticide use, climate change and disease. “We knew they were declining and we didn’t know how fast,” said Michael J. Adams, the study’s lead author. “It’s a loss of biodiversity. You lose them and you can’t get them back.”