Have you ever been mucking about in the local swamp
and found a one-eyed frog or a five-legged salamander? If you have,
you’re not alone. In the last decade, malformed amphibians have
turned up in about a dozen states around the country, including
Washington, Oregon, California and North Dakota. Herpetologists,
the scientists who study amphibians and reptiles, are not sure what
is causing the problems, but theories range from parasites to
pesticides to the destruction of the ozone layer. While occasional
malformations are normal, some scientists worry that increasing
mutations are signs of a larger environmental problem. “What’s
driving this whole issue is not deformed frogs,” toxicologist
Hillary Carpenter told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune. “It’s
the potential for effects on human health.” Now, the Biological
Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey is collecting
records of malformed amphibians through the North American
Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations, or “NARCAM.” NARCAM
researchers also want to know if you’ve handled a lot of the
critters and haven’t found any malformations.
You
can visit NARCAM on the world wide web at
http://www.npsc.nbs.gov/narcam, or contact the office at
800/238-9801.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Abnormal amphibians.
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