‘Frogs are as important as tigers’

Gururaja K.V. remembers that there were 220 species of amphibians that were described from India back in 2002 when he was working on his PhD.

Today, it is 465, says the Bengaluru-based ecologist, a faculty at the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology. These new discoveries, he says, stem from multiple factors, including several technological innovations – in fields ranging from molecular biology to bioacoustics – as well as in cameras and camping gear. “Every year you have ten new species being added,” says Gururaja at a lecture he recently delivered as part of the Paraspar series organised by the Office of Communication at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.

The lecture — titled Why do frogs do what they do? Insights from behavioural ecological studies on the Western Ghats anurans - —was supported with audio clips, videos, and stunning macro photographs. Kumbara night frog.| Photo Credit:Gururaja K.

V Poorly studied species While the discoveries are certainly a cause for celebration, Gururaja notes that although we have an incredibly rich diversity of amphibians, we know little about them. Moreover, many of these poorly studied amphibians are disappearing at an alarming rate. A recent paper he co-authored, published in Nature last year, reveals that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate group globally, with 41% of the 8000-odd species at risk.

According to this paper, the emerging threat of climate change is of particular concer.