10,000 endangered frogs die in Peru

Peru is investigating what killed some 10,000 Titicaca water frogs, a critically endangered species affectionately known as the “scrotum frog,” in a river that is feared to be polluted, authorities have said. Hundreds of the large, wrinkly green frogs have been found floating on the surface of the Coata river in southern Peru in recent days, prompting the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor) to launch an investigation.

“Based on residents’ statements and samples collected in the days after the incident, it is believed that more than 10,000 frogs were affected over about 50 km (30 miles),” Serfor said in a statement on Monday. The alert was sounded by an environmental group.