Headlines in two Minnesota (US) Newspapers told the story: "Deformed frogs prompt investigation--Students found large numbers of them in Henderson" (Minneapolis Star/Tribune, 9/1/95) and "Leap in Frog Mutations Startles Scientists" (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 9/1/95).In 1995, students in Minnesota alerted the world to the problem of frogs with unusually high numbers of malformities. Some frogs had up to five hind legs, some had unusual webbing or missing legs, and some had missing eyes. Since then these trends have continued with even more extreme malformities being found.
Because frogs may act as bio-indicators of the health of our environment, scientists began to worry. As with global amphibian declines, suggested causes for these malformities include increased exposure to ultra-violet light, chemical contamination (both have been related to human activities) and parasites.
Link to U.S. Supreme Court Ruling a Serious Blow to Frogs``
