Risks of extinction of Frogs and toads as a Result of environmental Changes

Frogs and toads belong to the order anura and are conspicuously present in the Brazilian fauna and culture (Figure 1). these animals and the sounds of their choirs are explored in rural scenes of movies and usually associated with folkloric beliefs and legends. nonetheless, their fascinating biology is totally unknown to most lay people. thus, in contrast to what several of us may think, not all frogs are green, nocturnal, nor do all frogs call; not all of them lay eggs in the water or go through a tadpole stage. an infinity of colors distinguish them, there are voiceless species, diurnal species, species that move their limbs to communicate with specific individuals, species that carry their tadpoles and tiny juveniles on the back and even those that hatch already as perfect miniatures of the parents. to date, there are more than 5600 species of anurans in the world, and 849 of them occur in Brazil. these numbers qualify our country as the world leader of anuran diversity, a status that requires considerable responsibility. almost 500 of the Brazilian species are endemic, that is, exclusively present in our lands. therefore, if any of them becomes extinct, the world as a whole will lose part of its diversity. However, at least for a good proportion of the lay public, the ter