It's The End Of The Fringed-Limbed Tree Frog Species When 'Toughie' Died

The handsome yet loneliest frog, the fringed-limbed tree frog, is dead, which signifies the end of this species. Toughie was the name of  the last known member of a fringe-limbed tree frog species that won the hearts of movie directors and racing car drivers.

Huffington Post reported that Toughie was found dead on September 26 at its home at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. He had inhabited there since 2005.

My heart breaks: The last known species of a rare tree frog species dies -- and millenia of knowledge dies with... https://t.co/Vtc43mECTT

— TerryTempestWilliams (@TempestWilliams) October 7, 2016

The National Geographic said that Toughie was a symbol of the extinction crisis. Mark Mandica, who worked with the amphibian and whose young son named the frog said that Toughie's death serves as a reminder of the many species that have been wiped out "before people even knew" that they were there.

The extinction of any species has a great impact on the fragile ecosystems and the people's communities. It is considered a tragedy too. According to researchers, approximately one-third to one-half of amphibian species are in danger of extinction.

The last known fringed-limbed tree frog was one the amphibians collected in Panama. They were gathered to protect them a skin disease known as chytrid fungus. It is a disease that could have a 100 percent mortality rate among frogs and about 85 percent of the amphibians collected died from the said disease. Toughie survived and lived for several years, according to Smithsonian.

Ecnomiohyla rabborum also referred to as Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog belongs to a family of Hylidae. They lived in the forest canopies of central Panama. This large frog can glide by spreading their big and fully webbed hands and feet during descent. The male frogs were highly territorial and guard the water-filled tree holes used for breeding. They also cared and provided food for their young. They were the only frog species wherein the tadpoles had nutrition by feeding on the skin cells of their fathers.