The frog, named Romeo, has been living alone in the aquarium of the Bolivian Museum of Natural History for 10 years.
Romeo was a Sehuencas water frog, which is believed to be the last frog of this race. And it has also taken on the responsibility of saving the race, and has been "blind dates" everywhere in recent years.
A few days ago, after years of exploration, researchers finally found Romeo's kind, one of which is "Juliet", which will be cultivated as Romeo's spouse.
Teresa Camacho Badani of the Bolivian Museum of Natural History told the BBC that Romeo was introverted and slow and not active, while Juliet was healthy and active, and the two were "a match made in heaven".
Romeo found Juliet, will the frog son be far away?
A frog's off-order history
About 10 years ago, researchers discovered Romeo in the deep mountain mist forests of Bolivia and brought it back to the Natural History Museum in Cochabamba.
However, probably researchers did not expect that it would live well for ten years.
Now that you are alive, the continuation of future generations becomes a top priority. So the researchers began a nine-year-long exploration of Romeo's Brexit.
Researchers from the Global Wildlife Conservation Society and the Natural History Museum of Bolivia have been searching for years in the misty forests where Romeo was discovered, but have never been able to find Romeo's kind.
In early 2018, anxious researchers began to "find another way" by "soliciting marriage" for Romeo on dating sites with the slogan "Find My Juliet"; in addition, researchers launched a crowdfunding campaign for Romeo, eventually raising $25,000 around Valentine's Day.
And Romeo, who has his own Twitter account, has also become a "net red frog", and many netizens have been paying attention to Romeo's single process.
Finally, about a month before Valentine's Day 2019, researchers found 5 of Romeo's kind in streams in a remote cloud forest in Bolivia, 3 males and 2 females.
The researchers finally breathed a sigh of relief, Juliet found out, the frog son had the possibility, and the possibility of the continuation of the race was even greater.
The survival of a race
In fact, Romeo's "single departure" has not been a matter of a frog, but a major matter related to the survival of the entire race.
According to ZME Science News, the Sehuencas water frog has previously lived in streams in dense forests deep in the bolivian mountains. But with increased pollution, climate change and the spread of a contagious disease, the species is on the brink of extinction. It was in this context that the researchers brought Romeo back to the museum.
According to BBCt, the average lifespan of the Sehuencas water frog is 15 years, and for Romeo, who is already 10 years old, it is imperative to find a companion for him to continue offspring.
The five Sehuencas water frogs found by the researchers did not allow them to maintain a stable number of breedable frogs in nature, but this gave the researchers the possibility of helping to reproduce.
At present, researchers are raising five water frogs in the aquarium of the Natural History Museum, while recreating the wild living environment for them.
After making sure the water frogs aren't infected with a deadly infectious disease, the researchers will have Romeo and Juliet "meet" and try to get them to reproduce, and in the future release them all back to nature and let them reproduce freely.
Chris Jordan of the Global Wildlife Conservation Society says that in fact catching wild animals is risky and had to be done just to save the Sehuencas water frog. They hope to preserve this species, preserve the diversity of Bolivian forests, and learn how similar endangered species can be saved.
Prior to the Sehuencas water frog, researchers used similar efforts to save the Mallorcan midwife toad in Spain and the Kihansi spray toad in Tanzania from extinction, according to ZME Science News.
The sixth mass extinction
On the first day of the New Year 2019, a "loneliest in the world" snail named "George" passed away.
It is believed to be the last known Hawaiian golden-roofed tree snail on Earth (Achatinella apexfulva), and its death marks the complete extinction of this species.
And this is by no means the only species that has gone extinct in recent years.
In recent years, many scientists have warned that The era of Earth's sixth mass extinction has arrived. Due to the impact of human activities, the rate of extinction of this species is nearly 1,000 times faster than the previous five times.
Amphibians are in particularly dire condition.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the "threatened" amphibian species are the sum of the "threatened" bird and mammal species, and nearly 40% of amphibian species are at risk of extinction.
In Bolivia alone, the survival of nearly 22 per cent of amphibian species is threatened by ecological destruction, environmental pollution and climate change.
This is why researchers at the Global Wildlife Conservation Association and the Bolivian Museum of Natural History attach so much importance to Romeo's "off-order" event.
Teresa of the Natural History Museum said that through Romeo's story, it hopes to help humans understand the current situation of many amphibians on the brink of extinction, and increase the importance of humans to save endangered species.
Jordan of the Global Wildlife Conservation Society said, "This story offers hope that in the context of the sixth mass extinction, there are still ways to safeguard our biodiversity and protect these endangered and even extinct species in the wild." ”
Jordan says all species are important because their DNA represents tens of millions of years of biological evolution.
Text/Shelian
Edit/Qinhan
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