News Archive

This Amphibian Week, take a closer look at what makes these species so wonderfully weird and worthy of our attention.

An unseasonably strong storm in fall 2022 stirred up some romance between two Panamanian golden frogs. Now, Reptile Discovery Center keepers are caring for more than 400 of the couple’s golden-hued hatchlings!

'Hoppy' Amphibian Awareness Week! All week long, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute will be sharing stories about amazing amphibians and the scientists working to save them from extinction.

'Hoppy' Amphibian Awareness Week! All week long, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute will be sharing stories about amazing amphibians and the scientists working to save them from extinction.

For decades, scientists have wondered whether the key to saving frogs from the deadly chytrid fungus lies in their skin. Could they genetically modify bacteria found in the frogs’ mucus layer and boost its antifungal properties, in effect creating a “living pharmacy” on the frogs?

Leap into learning what it takes to care for some of the frogs found at Smithsonian’s National Zoo from Matt Evans, assistant curator of the Reptile Discovery Center.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is dedicated to saving species. Every day, its scientists and partners undertake important conservation efforts to protect species and their habitats.

Ninety Limosa harlequin frogs bred in human care are braving the elements of the wild after Smithsonian scientists sent them out into the Panamanian rainforest as part of their first-ever release trial in May.

Nearly one-third of all amphibian species globally are at risk of going extinct. While the global amphibian crisis is the result of habitat loss, climate change and pollution, the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus plays a large role in the frogs' disappearances. In the fight for frogs, Smithsonian...

After more than five hard years of work and constituency-building, it felt like Panama was giving us a big warm hug. Once a year on August 14, an official holiday in Panama called Panamanian Golden Frog Day, our staff come together to help coordinate a week-long festival celebrating Panama’s...

As frogs around the world continue to disappear—many killed by a rapidly spreading disease called chytridiomycosis, which attacks the skin cells of amphibians—one critically endangered species has received an encouraging boost. The La Loma tree frog, Hyloscirtus colymba, is notoriously difficult to...