It is the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs. Population by population, species by species, amphibians are vanishing off the face of the Earth. Despite international alarm and a decade and a half of scientists scrambling for answers, the steady hemorrhaging of amphibians continues like a leaky faucet that cannot be fixed or a wound that will not heal. Large scale die-offs of frogs around the world have prompted scientists to take desperate measures to try to save those frogs they can, even bathing frogs in Clorox solutions and keeping them in Tupperware boxes under carefully controlled conditions to prevent the spread of a deadly fungus. Will it ever be safe to return the frogs back to the ecosystem from which they were taken?
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This episode premiered April 5, 2009.
(48 votes)
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I want to thank you guys for a great documentary it was just amazing and very informative, but sad to know the fact that “we” are causing some of the most beautiful anfibiants getting extinct…. Any more documentaties on the same subjcet will be an A++
Sincerely,
Erik T.
(The froggy man!!)
interesting episode, very informative
Outstanding program! Wonderful footage, and a reminder that everything that we humans do affects the natural world. Our chemically intensive agricultural practices are poisioning not only the natural world, but are very likely also affecting us. Our development practices that place little to no value on wild places and the habitat it provides are leading to catastrophic loss of species around the world, and finally the effects of global warming are being felt in so many ways. These compounding stressors are creating challenges that even the most dedicated scientists, students and volunteers may not be able to overcome in light of the ever burgeoning human population.
[...] you watch this on the internet anywhere? I REALLY want to see it!!! Link to full episode Frogs: The Thin Green Line – Video: Full Episode – Amphibian Extinction – Chytrid Fungus | Nature This was just another great reminder of why conservation should be a important part of this hobby. [...]
Thank you Allison and your team for putting this documentary together. It was fantastic, a great balance of emotion and science. Until now my parents were wondering what went on out there, this was a great way for them to see some of our research.
Wonderful…factual… wish more had been done to try connect fungus susceptibility to chemicals/pharmaceuticals… my paranoia or suspicions??
Please schedule this again…or we may be “the future frogs!” Thanks Bill
4/5 yrs back,in Miami,Fl very large bromiliad collection in backyard, start rainy season, thought it was insect invasion on ground early dark. 2nd look showed countless (Cuban tree frogs) prepping for reproduction, they fit a couple females on your little fingernail. My idea of I must see more of this. Couple yrs back, Crash. Now I understand why. Thanks, Nature- Thanks Mom!
I wish everyone would see this. Wow–it makes me want to quit my job and dedicate my life to saving frogs!
I also wish there could be an additional episode that talked more about pesticides, herbicides and amphibians.
Thank you for a very important, informative show. I am surprised this subject is not getting more attention from main stream media. I was VERY surprised that SC Johnson was one of the sponsers considering their chemical products must have some impact on what is going on with frogs??? WE NEED TO SAVE THE FROGS! :)
Thank you very much for airing this show! I loved it so much I forwarded it to everyone I know to watch it!
Everyone should know this is happening.
SAVE THE FROGS!:]
Thank you for this moving episode. It was an eye opening experience for me. I hope to share this with my community.
Thank you for helping open up our world’s eyes. With more great documentaries like this one… the awareness will hopefully help our elected leaders support world wide efforts to save our frogs.
Excellent work here by Allison Argo. This show was factually well checked, current on all fronts, and simply very well produced. THANKS for bringing your evident skills in film production to this important issue!
I agree with #8 above. It is nice to see some talk about the chemical contaminant side of things. Though chytrid is devestating, I am often worried that not enough attention is being given to other stressors and how these possible (and some proven) problems are further contributing to declines. There are other things we need to worry about and research in addition to disease.
Absolutely fantastic pictures with a great and worrisome story.
[...] of videos, I caught The Thin Green Line on Nature last night and highly recommend it, particularly the latter part of the show about the [...]
The irony is that we humans have evolved complex nervous systems that allow us to figure this out exactly what we are doing to ourselves.
Yet when it comes to our habits, we seem no more able to avoid polluting ourselves with sex-altering chemicals…than a male dog can control himself around a female dog that is in heat.
My son and myself loved this show. My son is 8 yrs old and was very disturbed by the fact that frogs are in trouble. We have a pond on our property and he waits for the frogs every year.
thank you so much for this work. we so need to save our wildlife, our siblings in this life.
I too would like to have seen more about chemical contaminants & effect on amphibians. Makes you wonder about the rise of nerve disorders (ie Autism)?
[...] PBS – Frogs: The Thin Green Line premieres Sunday, April 5 at 8pm Frogs: The Thin Green Line – Video: Full Episode – Amphibian Extinction – Chytrid Fungus | Nature online video is available here! __________________ Lots of mantellas R.variabilis [...]
Where can i buy a cooy of this DVD?
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Thank you for this beautiful tribute to and alarm call for our frog friends. And thank you for making this program available online. I for one will be posting a link to your site in as many ways as I can. Amphibians are telling us something. We all need to listen to their message and respond.
wow this is a good documentry next time they should do the animals of India
Thank you so much for this program. My Environmental Science students are studying endangered species and we’ve been focusing on vernal pools and the endangered frogs of Massachusetts. This fit perfectly into our curriculum and discussions!
It’s a very interesting topic about the nature and environment. In addition, we also know some species are suffering from the bad circumstances. This let us think more protecting our earth.
Further proof positive of the fact we dont know what we have done to this planet earth we all call home to with man made toxins. Mother earth is very sick. God will reclaim her and heal her. Frogs seem to be very sick. Whos to say we are just as sick and dont know it yet?
[...] under Uncategorized Just in case you missed it last Sunday… Check out the full episode of Frogs: The Thin Green Line. The PBS series Nature portrays several stories regarding amphibian declines round the [...]
Thank you for providing such wonderful documentary on the survival quest of these magnificent creatures! I hope the data provided by these dedicated scientists helps to create so much needed awareness from the public, health administrators and government.
fantastic and so informative, I’m so p[roud both my children are working in the cinservation field, now I must go down the garden and chech on my frogs that have been living here for the past 25 (or more) years.Hope it’s not too late to educate the world.
Loved the video gives everyone a better idea of what is going on with other creatures of the world that need our help too. Wish Dr. Lips was still my advisor but she is defiantly working on a good cause.
we need to save as much species as we can, 1 bad inbalance can destory billions of species. so happy to see many people still work to preserve nature
i thought frogs to be so disturbing!!
but now…..somebody help them!!!!!
coodos to the excellent scientists that found it in them to care about the amphibians! Very very very very excellent guys!
is anything being done about the birth control pills….is there no way to remove it suring water treatment!!!????
Kind of a ripoff, I just finished reading the National Geographic frog story and this is all of the same info with one or two minor additions. They must have worked together or rabidly plagerized each other, but the result is the same; duplicative media.
I like frogs, but there are only a few mass-market science outlets so you really shouldn’t saturate them. It’s boring.
Frog-Man’s crazy queen of england earrings in part 5 makes up for it a bit, though.
really wonderful job scientists, people likes me never thinks about nature……somehow eye opener for me
We loved to learn that there’s people caring about the future of this amazing creatures, thanks for sharing your concern and your knowledge with us.Thank you
Hey I like the Flogs.
These frogs, I find them cute. But come on, closing the roads???? I couldn’t go to a wedding because of those roads!
Excellent! One question, though. If frogs are the most sensitive bellweather species to changes in environment (and i don’t doubt it), then how did they outlast dinasours and such, changes in climate, etc. over the last 250 million years? any insight appreciated! thanks.
very good
cool i use to catch frogs for fun now i rarely see them
Wow great production. Lots more info at http://savethefrogs.com
Thank you for useful information. I realize again that the conservation of the nature is very very important!
Great production! Getting the word out to the public about this mess is an important step in the conservation of frogs.
Some insight for #41 – over the millions of years that frogs have been present it is likely that many species went extinct with climate fluctuations and events such as that which wiped out the dinosaurs. Few, though would have found refuges in suitable habitat and the great diversity of amphibian species that we see today is a result of evolutionary forces working over more recent times. Possibly a hopeful sign for frogs in the distant future once humans have become a victim of the self-perpetuated 6th great extinction event!
I loved this special and the footage is beautiful. I work for a non-profit organization called SAVETHEFROGS! I was wondering if I could use some of this footage to make a video to spread frog awareness and tell others on how important frogs are. I’ll credit you guys and the producers for the footage, I won’t take credit.
I am a frog LOVER and I almost cried at the end it was so sad, so I’m going to e-mail goverment about the notes I took.I hope that they’re saved before it’s too late.
What happened to all the videos? It says not longer available on all but one.
I LOVE TEENY TINY FROGS! Y R THEY DISAPEERING?!?!?!
I dont see any thing to apreciate or admire the show or the video. At the end of the conclusion, ” Sorry, this video is not available.” WHY
The documentary is good and interesting in facts, but i’m more into the ones where there are no experts talking, where it’s just the narrator and the subject alone
This is an exceptional documentary, we have just announced a new project to try and find a cure for the fungus and to rescue amphibians in Eastern Panama http://www.amphibianrescue.com
sad sad story can’t get used to seeing all this!!!!! what i mean the frogs all gone!? and extra limbs and losing limbs!!!! sad ):
I love frogs, I’ve noticed the Coqui frog from Puerto Rico slowly disappearing. It’s maybe due to the fungus.
I live in Sugar Grove, Illinois. We have a neighborhood pond that was loaded with bullfrog and toad tadpoles in the spring. Once the toads matured and came on land, my son and I collected ten of them. Three had leg deformities. One had only one back leg, one had three back legs, and one had two back legs, with an extra leg growing out from one of its legs. Disturbing to find such deformities in such a small sample.
PANAMA AMPHIBIAN RESCUE AND CONSERVATION PROJECT
Hi, I am working on the panama amphibian rescue and conservation project, we are working to build an amphibian conservation center at the Summit Zoo in Panama. This video does a great job of showing the crisis we are up against. We could use any interested people to help! http://www.amphibianrescue.org
people need a home but i still wander at what cost will it be at.
Thank you for all your efforts. I would like to be involved in these projects.
Thank you for careing for our enviorment and all the different species that are in need of our help. I would hanve never known about what is going on with all the frogs if it wasn’t becouse of my daoughter that was reading about it in school. She is only in 4th grad the good thing that there are teaching students Now that they are young. once agin THANK YOU.
i used to hate frogs till i saw this video very good for teachers science class!! thank you
Excellent, the ecology of Chrytrid is quite a fascinating thing. My lab is concerned with this issue, and from personal experience it is quite devastating. The important things is let the public know of this. You have done a marvelous job doing this. I have suggested it to many people.