Also on the list of newly discovered species is the tiger-striped pitviper (Cryptelytrops honsonensis). It's a snake that's around a half meter long and yellow with a complex zig-zag pattern on its body. The new species include 100 plants, 14 amphibians, 18 reptiles, 28 fish, one bird, and two mammals. The report was mostly centered on how climate change is threatening the habitats of these species.

The fanged frog, though, is the highlight of the report. It's been classified as Limnonectes megastomias, and it's MO is to wait in Thailand's streams and attack when a bird comes near. The scientists also discovered that the males of the species use these fangs in combat, sometimes scarring or even dismembering their opponents. Looks like we may be seeing a global plague of frogs with fangs creeping up on us...

Fanged Frog and Other Bizarre Species Discovered [LiveScience]

At least one-third of amphibian species are threatened with extinction right now, and even non-threatened species are suffering catastrophic declines in population. Most likely, the causes are global warming and the shrinking habitats where amphibians live.

But what merits calling this a "mass extinction"? The researchers explain in a release from UC Berkeley:

"There's no question that we are in a mass extinction spasm right now," said David Wake, professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley . . . New species arise and old species die off all the time, but sometimes the extinction numbers far outweigh the emergence of new species. Extreme cases of this are called mass extinction events, and there have been only five in our planet's history, until now.

The sixth mass extinction event, which Wake and others argue is happening currently, is different from the past events. "My feeling is that behind all this lies the heavy hand of Homo sapiens," Wake said.

It's hard to say exactly when the mass extinction of amphibians began. It could have been 10,000 years ago, when humans arrived in the Americas and began changing the local environment by hunting. Or it could have been with the dawning of the industrial area, with its chemical pollutants destroying watery environments where frogs live. No matter when the extinction began, Wake and his colleagues believe that it has sped up considerably over the past few decades and shows no sign of slowing down.

Dying Frogs a Sign of Biodiversity Crisis [UC Berkeley]