The legless-frog alarmists were wrong, or at least that’s what some scientists think right now. For years people have suspected toxins were deforming frogs that turned up with too few or too many legs. We’re still not sure about the ones with too many limbs, but the too-few may be perfectly natural (if you consider it natural for dragonfly nymphs to rearrange the limb-bud cells of tadpoles):
Scientists think they have resolved one of the most controversial environmental issues of the past decade: the curious case of the missing frogs’ legs.
Around the world, frogs are found with missing or misshaped limbs, a striking deformity that many researchers believe is caused by chemical pollution.
However, tests on frogs and toads have revealed a more natural, benign cause.
The deformed frogs are actually victims of the predatory habits of dragonfly nymphs, which eat the legs of tadpoles.
via BBC – Earth News – Legless frogs mystery solved.
Now we just need to figure out why the whole frog is vanishing.
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