For second and third time we went to Titicaca Lake to monitor the species. This time we took some help. Ineke and Mariana that were a great support during the field and helping us in the fieldwork. with these trips we learned a lot about the best ways to study and monitor Telmatobius, also we found great new information about the species during our day and nigth transects.
At the same time we are finding very alarming information about the situation of the species and the area. we found again dead individuals in the area, several sick frogs and a deformed frog with extra limbs. at the moment we are trying to understand what is happening with the species doing some research and postmortem analyzis with the dead individuals. we found a lot ecto and endoparasites that probably have an effect in the very skiny individuals. also we are finding new information about polution in the area that together with other factors can be affecting the population health.
But not everything is lost, now we have new help from the local people and now Nelson our new integrant of the team is learning to to snorkel and is helping us to monitor the frogs in the area, this very enthusiastic young new member is helping us to work in the area and also his family that is providing a lot data in the area.
in one of our nocturnal transects snorkeling in the lake (very very cold) we found amazing information about the natural history that will be published in a near future. after just a couple of times working snorkeling in the lake we are finding a lot data that can help us to understand this amazing and critically endangered frog.
