It’s a Froggy Frog World
Tattoo by Boris
Frogs are an important part of our ecosystem, and an integral part of our food web. They eat insects that carry diseases, and tadpoles help filter out the algae from our water supply (both keeping us healthy). They even provide food themselves for birds, fish, snakes, even beetles and dragonflies eat their eggs/tadpoles. Perhaps most importantly, a great number of the medical advances we make each year comes from research on amphibians.
Unfortunately, amphibians are the most rapidly disappearing class of animals in the world, with 200 species completely extinct in the last few decades alone (mostly due to habitat destruction). Since they are amphibious, they are inherently dependent on water, and thus sensitive to water change. Also, since half their life is spent on land, and half in the water, they are affected by negative climate changes in either realm. Frogs are referred to as bioindicators; they are indicative of the health of the entire planet. Their permeable skin takes in the toxins from the environments they live in, both aquatic and terrestrial. They were strong enough to outlive dinosaurs, but not humans; within the last century we have killed off about 1/3 of them.
Check out this podcast by Dr. Kerry Kriger, an Ecologist and Founder of ‘Save the Frogs’
http://www.abc.net.au/overnights/stories/s3499970.htm?site=melbourne
Remember: Tattoos are forever… and so is extinction. To see all of the FANTASTIC art featured on Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day, and to learn more about this initiative, please click here. You can also share photos of your own wildlife tattoos and enjoy others’ at our Facebook group, Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation.
