2024’s International Tiger Day

Tiger Day is observed globally on July 29th each year as a call to action to halt the alarming trends and safeguard tigers. These magnificent animals are in danger of going extinct, despite the fact that they have long been top predators in their environments.

Factors Affecting the Loss of Tiger Habitat.

Habitat Loss: The biggest threat to tigers is the continuous degradation of their natural habitats. The tiger’s range has become more fragmented due to deforestation caused by infrastructure development, logging, and agriculture.
Poaching: The illegal killing of tigers for their components is driven by the profitable markets for traditional medicine and decorative goods, and it remains a constant menace.
Human-Wildlife Conflict: Human populations are expanding and invading tiger habitats, which has led to an increase in the frequency of conflicts between humans and these large animals. Tiger populations are also endangered by retaliatory kills carried out in response to attacks on humans and livestock.
In the midst of climate change, the Andaman Islands’ Charles Darwin’s Frog exhibits an odd mating and egg-laying behavior.

In the Andaman Islands, a species of frog bearing Charles Darwin’s name has been found to exhibit unusual mating and egg-laying behaviors by a team of researchers from the United States and India. It is believed that this behavior is a reaction to climate change.
The Finding

Scientists have discovered that the frog species, technically known as Minervarya charlesdarwini, has an unusual upside-down mating and egg-laying behavior after conducting comprehensive examinations over three consecutive monsoon seasons.

The frogs’ attempts to adjust to the quickly shifting environment of the delicate Andaman Islands include the shifting patterns.
Distinctive Conduct

These frogs use human excrement as their breeding foundation, according to observations made by researchers from Harvard University and the University of Delhi. On Monday, the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology’s journal Breviora published a detailed study that involved scientists from the University of Delhi, the Zoological Survey of India, Harvard University, and the University of Minnesota.
Adaptation in Order to Survive

Down To Earth (DTE) was informed by S.D. Biju, a fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, that his team discovered Charles Darwin frogs, both male and female, taking up an inverted posture on the walls of tree cavities, keeping their entire body above water while depositing their eggs.

As they mature, the hatchlings descend into the water below and go through a free-swimming tadpole stage, as told by Biju, a faculty member at the University of Delhi and a native of Kerala.

Currently, this frog’s most notable behavior is upside-down spawning, which is quite remarkable. He clarified that no other species of frog is known to deposit its eggs upside down, with its body entirely out of the water, on the inside walls of tree holes.

“This discovery is crucial for understanding the species’ interaction with its surroundings and identifying essential habitats for its survival,” Biju stated.
Implications for Conservation

The conservation of this species, which is already classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, would be greatly impacted by these discoveries.

According to the study, these frogs are using more and more man-made items as breeding grounds, including plastic seedling bags and used plastic, glass, and metal containers. Frogs on these small islands are being forced to adapt to the fast changing environment, which is a result of the loss and fragmentation of forest ecosystems, according to Biju.
Comprehensive Study

Biju claims that this is the most thorough study of the species that has been done to far. Over three consecutive monsoon seasons from 2019 to 2021, biologists observed the little frogs in the Andaman Islands for 55 days, noting their distinctive mating habits.

The majority of this frog species’ mating calls, according to Biju, are straightforward. Certain animals have intricate calls that contain a variety of noises.

The group discovered that in order to entice females, Charles Darwin males make three different kinds of “complex” sounds. When their ‘aggressive’ calls are not enough to keep rival males away, they get into physical combat, biting portions of their bodies or even their heads, and kicking and boxing with both their fore and rear limbs.

If a male mate successfully, other bachelor males in the area may engage in combat with the mating pair. Researchers discovered that in an attempt to split apart, they may even try to put their heads in between the bodies of the mating pair.

According to our observations, fatalities from these bouts are uncommon. Given the degree of aggression displayed by this species—which includes prolonged periods of biting off body parts and even complete heads—this was unexpected, according to Biju.
Concerns for Habitat

The famed biologist Charles Darwin’s frog is unique to some Andaman Islands and cannot be found anywhere else. Because of its unique characteristics, restricted range, and declining habitat, the IUCN has classified it as “vulnerable.”

Scientists worry that frogs are reproducing in artificial environments within disturbed woodlands, such as rain-filled abandoned containers left as litter at the border of the forest or plastic bags used in neighboring plant nurseries.

The utilization of rubbish by frogs for reproducing is alarming and unexpected. Sonali Garg, a Harvard University fellow who oversaw the study, stated, “We now need to understand the causes and long-term consequences and devise ways to protect the natural breeding sites critical for the survival of the species.”
Competition for Resources

Researchers said that the lack of adequate breeding sites due to habitat loss and competition for limited resources might drive frogs to breed in such unnatural sites.

The Dicroglossidae family, which includes approximately 220 species of Asian frogs, includes Charles Darwin’s frog.

What is the International Tiger Day’s History?

At the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit on July 29, 2010, International Tiger Day was created. The concerning decrease in tiger populations prompted the calling of this worldwide summit.