13 Gorgeous Pictures Remind Us Why Frogs Need Our Help.
The species may have developed its vivid scarlet peepers to shock predators into at least briefly questioning their meal choice.
For instance, the wood frog, which lives north of the Arctic Circle, can survive being frozen alive.
Their hearts and lungs stop functioning for up to weeks at a time, until they eventually thaw out and return to normal.
Hardy as they are, frogs are also vulnerable to changes in their environment.
That’s because, when submerged, the aquatic creatures breathe through their thin, permeable skin, which makes them susceptible to shifts in water temperature and pollution.
(See "Striking Yellow-Black Rain Frog Found, Is Already Endangered.")
About 200 frog species have gone extinct since the 1970s, including the Rabb’s fringe-limbed tree frog just last year.
This rapid die-off is due to habitat loss, water pollution, and the deadly chytrid fungus, among other causes.
(Read about vanishing amphibians in National Geographic magazine.)