Loneliest frog in the world is the last of his kind (Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog) (via Herp Digest)

Atlabbta, GA, 2/18/11 by Paul Cockerton 

There were believed to be just two Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frogs left on Earth after a fungus killed off their species in the wild

A Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog is the loneliest little amphibian in the world after the only other one of his kind croaked it.

There were believed to be just two left on Earth after a fungus killed off their species in the wild.
But zoo officials in Atlanta in the US said it had to put down one frog due to ill health.

That leaves just one remaining example of the species, living in the botanical garden in Atlanta.

Amphibian populations are declining around the world and some of the last survivors of Central America's once rich diversity of frogs now exist only in captivity.

The species was identified by Zoo Atlanta's herpetology curator Joseph Mendelson during a 2005 trip to Panama.

He hopes that they can preserve genetic material from the deceased frog to help to study the species.

He said: "Had the frog passed away overnight when no staff members were present, we would have lost any opportunity to preserve precious genetic material.

"To lose that chance would have made this extinction an even greater tragedy in terms of conservation, education and biology."

The Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog has not been observed in the wild since 2007 and is believed to be extinct.

Zoo Atlanta is a leader in the effort to combat the crisis of global amphibian decline.