In Search of Lost Frogs: The Quest to Find the World's Rarest Amphibians

by Robin Moore

A magnificent record of the global hunt for "lost" frog species.

Dr. Robin Moore has a passion for frogs and a fascination with finding new and "lost" species. In 2010, he spearheaded the worldwide "Search for Lost Frogs" campaign, which coordinated the efforts of 33 teams of scientists in 19 countries on five continents in a quest to find 100 species of amphibian not seen in over a decade.

"In Search of Lost Frogs" is a stunning record of Moore's journey and what he and his team did (or did not) find. The book is overflowing with exquisite close-up photographs by Moore that display the frogs' remarkable coloring and camouflage, and reveal their diminutive size -- many of the frogs are less than 5 cm long, if that. Moore's engaging text tells the story of the expedition, its highs and lows, discoveries and failures, and the campaign's ongoing work.

The book's first half covers what frogs do for the health of the planet, the slippery slope of extinction, what is being done to monitor frog populations and find lost species, the Lazarus project (which aims to "revive" lost species) and the author's career-long resolve to find the Mesopotamia Beaked Toad.

The second half of the book is about the searches. Moore describes the struggles, victories and dangers as well as the science. He takes readers along as his team trudge through rainforest, climb mountains and paddle rivers in search of the lost frogs, some not seen for more than a century. He tells a story of perseverance, disappointment, rediscovery, resilience, but ultimately of hope, written with passion and illustrated with superb photographs. And a surprise ending: they found 15 lost frogs.

They include: In Ecuador, the Rio Pescado Stubfoot Toad, not seen since 1995 In Haiti, six rediscoveries, including the Ventriloquial Frog and Mozart's Frog, both lost for 20 years In India, the Dehradun Stream Frog, last seen (and only once) in 1985; the Elegant Tree Frog (1937); the Chalazodes Bubble Nest Frog (1874); the Anamalai Dot-Frog (1938) In Democratic Republic of Congo, the Omaniundu Reed Frog (1979) In Ivory Coast, the Mount Nimba Reed Frog (1967).

Naturalists, lovers of all things frog, schools and interested general readers will enjoy the stunning photographs, the science and the adventurous stories of discovery.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Biology, Natural History, Adventure

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2014

About the author

Ever since he entered the steamy jungles of Cameroon at the tender age of 20 to study chameleon poop, Robin Moore has been a powerful voice for the protection of the world's under-appreciated creatures, the amphibians and reptiles.

After gaining a PhD in biodiversity, Robin headed up the Amphibian Program at Conservation International and spearheaded the innovative Search for Lost Frogs. Over six months, as more than 120 researchers slashed through jungle and waded rivers in 21 countries in search of species lost to science, their images and stories captured the imagination of the public and graced the pages of news outlets the world over.

Robin has helped to found and build the Amphibian Survival Alliance - the world's largest partnership for amphibian conservation - and is a Fellow of the prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers.

Reviews

[- The Polybrary - · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fabulous - for BOTH the content, and the absolutely amazing photos. I would buy it just for the photos alone! I had no idea of the beautiful diversity in the amphibian world. Of interest to anyone remotely interested in the world around them and taking care of it.

Lost Frogs chronicles the search by scientific teams in many different countries for not only frogs in remote areas prone to violent conflict (Columbia), where there has simply been to access to enable previous scientists to study, but also places where frogs and other amphibians have just vanished rapidly and without any clues. The information they uncover reveals a 6th mass extinction going on beneath our noses. Many people never see the amphibians that are bearing the brunt of this wave of extinction, but the ramifications are felt worldwide.

Highly recommend.

[Sher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended. The photographs are stunning, really breathtaking, and there are hundreds of photos and the story is compelling. It's really an adventure story of conservative, a mystery, and a story that reveals realms that few of us know about - the life , world, and dangers to frogs and other amphibians on this planet. A great gift for a budding young man or woman who is leaning toward being a biologist or naturalist. This book really serves many purposes - it's not a linear story but a series of chapters covering each team's adventure trying to find lost or thought to be extinct frogs in remote places all over the world. Some frogs are found and some are not-- and what is killing frogs everywhere and killing them in remote --very difficult to reach places previously thought utterly pristine and safe from human intervention? Read this book, and give it to your nature interested friends and family.

[Gina Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this when we were studying amphibians for nature study but didn’t finish it before the end of term so then I set it aside for months and just recently picked it back up and finished it. The photos are gorgeous and most of the book is really interesting. I did feel like there were a few tangents that could have been left out. I also thought this would be a fun book to use for geography for a term although it would cover countries in multiple continents which isn’t typical for a Charlotte Mason geography study but I still might do it sometime if we need another geography book. I learned a lot about a lot of frogs. He does talk about evolution fairly frequently if that’s a deal breaker for you. I would definitely recommend though.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Finally someone who sees what I do when looking at a frog.

[Lin F · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book and different from a lot of the nonfiction that I read in that it was so visual. Normally books are either an interesting read or they are coffee table books to flip through and enjoy visuals, but this book was both. The amphibian photos are amazing (most are taken by the author) and the prose was well-written, engaging, and interesting. I would describe the book as part travelogue, part conservation, part photography, with a smattering of science, history, and storytelling mixed in.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please don't mistake Robin Moore's In Search of Lost Frogs for just another beautiful coffee table book. The photos and writing tell a big story –one that engages, inviting us to follow. It is a culmination of a life's work driven by passion for amphibians, and for where they live, which is just about everywhere. Portraits of amphibians show us that each frog, each salamander, is a non-human being. Who could not help but smile, looking at the Green Rain Frog, with her fingers laced and expression that's so open, or the Giant Palm Salamander, peering into the camera lens as though asking, "Who are you?"
Of childhood summers spent searching for frogs and their kin, Moore says, "...each year the heartbeat of the wild, untamed land pulses through me a little stronger and the belief grows that, for those who are willing to stop and listen, the amphibians have something important to say."
Indeed, they do, and with Lost Frogs, Moore gives them a voice.
To read this book and look at the photographs is to understand that the author's passion extends to life on earth, for we are all part of the biosphere, and everyone is affected by what happens to animals and nature. It makes perfect sense that Moore's PhD is in biodiversity conservation.

Told in first person, present tense, Lost Frogs is a story that takes us to places where amphibians live –or not. In the United States, we ride a day and a half on horseback, into the Sierra Nevada to lakes where Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs are dying –where clouds of mosquitoes make head nets essential-- and where one biologist has been working for nearly two decades to find out why. In Colombia we follow a stream through a steamy tropical forest to see pale green, near transparent Glass Frogs, deep red Poison Dart Frogs, and then, a new species of red-eyed toad. In Ecuador we hike high into the Andes where the cold wind doesn't let up and the air is thin –yet humid—to spend hours following another stream, searching for the Lime-Green Harlequin Frog.
Not only do we get to meet amphibians, but people, too, like biologists and journalists who are sometimes funny, mostly eccentric, and always utterly dedicated to their work. Photos capture joy and excitement in discovery –in a frog clinging to eyeglasses—concern and dedication –injecting a microchip to track a frog—satisfaction and pride --in discovery of a new species-- and deep sadness in looking out across a land where frogs once thrived.
Perfectly woven into the story of the search, the author gives an overview of each region's natural and human history that enables a better understanding of how ecosystems have been, and continue to be impacted by human expansion, conflict, politics, and economics. We see more clearly what happened to Haiti's environment, why parts of the Colombian forest have stayed protected, but are now threatened, and why, in Israel, a vast, beautiful lake was drained.

The sudden disappearance of frogs got people talking about amphibians as "canaries in a coal mine," but not really understanding how and why. Moore affirms that there is no "silver bullet" cure, and what's happening to frogs is a "lethal cocktail" of "habitat loss, disease and climate change," with stress as a factor in weakening immune systems, thereby decreasing the ability to fight infectious diseases like the chytrid fungus. Thus, it's clear that conservation of biodiversity is important, because it is the bio-diverse ecosystem that is best able to survive disease.
Moore's discussion of the lethal cocktail and the tenacity of fungi lets us see how we could be affected. Bats, bees, coral reefs, and snakes are also dying from fungal infection. It is a solid wake-up call. But because of the positive tone and clarity of the writing, we don't feel helpless; we are inspired and ask what can we do?
For starters, Moore proposes a shift in attitude toward wildlife. Of a species in question, he speaks about our tendency “to ask first, ‘what good is it?’ before deciding whether it is worth saving.”
We need to see that wild animals have the right to live for their own sakes, regardless of any value to us. Terry Tempest Williams says, “To honor wildlands and wild lives that we may never see, much less understand, is to acknowledge the world does not revolve around us.”
It is a shift in attitude we can create that will energize us and make the actual work of conservation and habitat restoration totally doable. The work of conservation is going on around the world. Frame of Mind, co-founded by Moore, is one program that connects young people to their environment through photography and storytelling. It is a success story that's growing.
Perhaps the big take-away question comes from a twelve-year old Haitian girl, a participant in the Frame of Mind program who asks the Environment Minister, “What is your reforestation policy for Parc La Visite?”

Children come into the world with inherent curiosity, ready to explore. The discovery of a pond, a stream, a bit of forest –a frog, turtle, dragonfly –a squirrel in the park—fills a child with wonder, and that is a gift. It is a gift Moore wants present and future generations to have. With Lost Frogs, Moore opens the dialogue to us, inviting us to join the conversation and the efforts to save these delightful creatures –and ourselves.

[Gordon MacLellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and wrote a long review for my blog that begins:
Both of these books took me back to personal occasions in an almost disturbing way. Richard Kerridge's description of his childhood adventures with amphibians could have been autobiographical for me. I still remember the almost hysterical excitement of watching tadpoles in a pond, or in a jam jar and the thrilling sense of connection with amphibian life. The sheer elegance of a newt gliding suddenly out into an arena bounded by water plants and sunken wood and hanging there, balanced in the water, still leaves me speechless


The other book mentioned is "Cold Blood" by Richard Kerridge and rather than copy it all out here, maybe take a trip to the Creeping Toad blog and have a read of it there? http://creepingtoad.blogspot.co.uk/20... (less)

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[Ashly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read! I appreciate the rare frog sightings near my house even more now.

[Krista Pojman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute wonderful book. I remember watching a documentary on the Chytrid fungus decimating frog populations and felt...hopeless--these animals' that I absolutely loved being wiped out and there wasn't any answers on how to save them.

This book brought hope.

It reads like an adventure novel--introducing the fungus and its impact, talking about the frogs that had supposedly gone extinct, going out into the field to try and find the lost frogs, and discussing what the future might hold. The writing was wonderful and the photography was spectacular. A must read for animal lovers.

[Marilyn]

"I have always liked frogs. I like the looks of frogs, and their outlook, especially the way they get together in wet places on warm nights and sing about sex." ~ Archie F. Carr, The Windward Road

Costa Rica
"When biologist Jay Savage came upon a male Golden Toad in the elfin cloud forest of Costa Rica in the spring of 1964, he thought he was the subject of an elaborate practical joke. 24-7
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[Kebechet Moxen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing and inspiring book

[Jane Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only complaint about this book is the size of the print - far too small. But apart from that it's a lovely book. Moore describes how his own fascination with amphibians led to the project to find species which were presumed to be extinct. Teams went to remote parts of the world and had some success in rediscovering these marvellous creatures. But we also learn about the working out of what is causing the extinctions.
Moore over-writes a little at times, but with the stunning photographs this is an important book.

[Gordon MacLellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent