The Panamanian Golden Frog|巴拿马黄金蛙

by Olivia Wycech

The Panamanian golden frog is one of nature's most beautiful works of art.

　　Among so many endangered species in the world, the Panamanian golden frog stands out because of its colorful skin. Like its name suggests, the frog sports a golden color, along with black patches. It's also able to make its skin toxic, and thus become an unattractive meal for predators. Besides their skin, they are also known for the chirping sound they produce. Interestingly, the frog has no ears, but detects sound in its lungs instead. The frog is quite small, measuring only between one and a half to three inches in length. Unlike many other species, females are nearly double the size of males. They feed on insects that are found near streams in their native home of Panama in Central America. The golden frog can be found in both wet rainforests and dry cloud forests around the region.

　　The golden frog species is disappearing quickly and fungal disease is mostly to blame. Like many other endangered species, one of the biggest threats is humans. Not only is the destruction of rainforests destroying the golden frogs' home, but they are also being taken from their homes illegally and kept as pets by people all over the world. Fortunately, there are a number of projects springing up to help conserve these frogs and keep them alive. The golden frog is so special to Panamanians that it is their national cultural symbol, making their survival of the greatest importance. Although very few Panamanians have actually seen a golden frog, they keep the spirit of it alive through myths and folklore and on an abundance of T-shirts, posters, and trinkets, which are all available for purchase in case you ever decide to visit Panama.

　　在全世界众多濒临灭绝的物种当中，巴拿马黄金蛙因其色彩鲜艷的皮肤而引人注目。就如同牠的名字所透露的，这种青蛙有着一身金黄色的皮肤，以及黑色的斑点。牠也能让自己的皮肤变得有毒，如此一来对其猎食者而言，牠就成了没有吸引力的食物了。除了皮肤之外，巴拿马黄金蛙也以其发出的鸣叫声而为人所知。有趣的是，这种青蛙没有耳朵，牠反而是用肺部来侦测声音。这种青蛙的体型相当小，其身体长度仅仅介于一点五到三英寸之间。牠们和其他物种不同的是，雌蛙的体型几乎是雄蛙的两倍大。巴拿马黄金蛙以昆虫为食，而这些昆虫在位于中美洲巴拿马的黄金蛙原生地的溪流附近都可见到。在巴拿马外围的潮湿热带雨林和干燥的雾林都找得到黄金蛙的踪影。

　　黄金蛙这个物种正在迅速消失中，而大部份原因要归咎于真菌所引起的疾病。而就如同其他许多濒临灭绝的物种一样，人类是牠们最大的威胁之一。除了热带雨林的毁坏正摧毁着黄金蛙的家园之外，牠们还会被非法带离家园，被世界各地的人类当作宠物来饲养。幸好，有许多用以帮助保护这些青蛙的计划如雨后春笋般地冒出来，让牠们得以继续生存。黄金蛙对于巴拿马人而言相当特别，因此牠成了巴拿马的国家文化象征，这也使得让黄金蛙活下去成为最重要的事情。虽然很少巴拿马人曾经真的看过黄金蛙，但他们透过神话和民间传说将黄金蛙的精神保存下去，而这种精神也展现在琳琅满目的 T 恤、海报和小饰品上，而万一你哪一天决定要造访巴拿马，这些商品全都能买得到喔。