Bye Bye Frogs and Salamanders!

Global warming is making an impact in Yellowstone National Park.

This park is the oldest National Park in the world so conservation methods have been going on for a long time here. The ponds where various species of frogs and salamanders lay their eggs and the larva grow are drying up. Global warming is thought to be the cause. The article that I'm citing today speaks about how drastically the populations have declined.

Here is the link

This decline has been observed by Biology Associate Professor Elizabeth Hadly who has been going to Yellowstone since 1981.


A tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) in Yellowstone. Credit: Sarah McMenamin

When searching this article for types of propaganda, I found that the deep concern from the various scientists, was easily discerned. Words like: killing, 'blinking off', and depressing adequately convey the distressing situation.

Here is a dramatic quote from the article:
" During the course of their study, the researchers witnessed the loss of four amphibian communities because of pond drying. Each event left hundreds of dried tiger salamander corpses behind. The ponds had dried rapidly, over just a few days, too fast for larvae to metamorphose and adults to migrate."

So perhaps their use of the word "killing" wasn't propaganda at all. Or maybe it was and it was necessary to gain the attention of people so that something could be done.

I think they should have gone with a more dramatic picture; perhaps of the corpses found which would have been a great way to "shock" people.