A large frog species that lived alongside dinosaurs and is considered a living fossil
is now losing ground in its native Chile.
Climate change and human actions are damaging the creature's living environment or habitat.
The helmeted water toad is one of the largest frogs in the world, growing up to over 30
centimeters in length and weighing up to one kilogram.
The amphibian has experienced little genetic change for millions of years.
But now its future is at risk, scientists say.
It's sad that a species that managed to coexist with dinosaurs, that managed to resist a mass
extinction, is now threatened by human beings, said Melissa Cansino.
Cansino is an animal doctor and founder of Proyecto Amphibia, a group that works on amphibian
research and education in Chile.
The helmeted water toad's environment covers a large part of the country, but its population
is suspected to have decreased by at least 30 percent since 1990.
The creature is identified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of
Nature's, or IUCN, Red List.
Climate change, habitat changes, environmental decline, and pollution have all caused the
helmeted water toad's numbers to decline, Cansino said.
Poor water and waste management have also threatened the frogs' living environment.
Matias Fondes, another member of Proyecto Amphibia, has seen the damage firsthand.
This estuary runs through the whole city and has plenty of illegal runoffs, he said as
he walked through a stream outside of Valparaiso.
Even so, he added, the frog manages to survive. I'm John Russell.