Chiriquí Harlequin Frog: Fungal Collapse
These striking black-and-yellow frogs once inhabited mountain streams in Panama. They went extinct in 2019 after populations crashed due to chytrid fungus infections. Climate change created conditions favorable for fungal spread at higher elevations. Scientists attempted captive breeding programs, but too few individuals remained. The Chiriquí Harlequin Frog represents hundreds of amphibian species lost to this devastating fungal pandemic.