Peruvian authorities are investigating the deaths of over 10,000 critically endangered frogs in Lake Titicaca. The cause of the Titicaca water frog massacre remains a mystery, though local activists have said water pollution and government negligence are to blame.
The creature, also known as the Titicaca scrotum frog because of the folds in its skin, is endemic to the large freshwater lake that spans from Peru to Bolivia. More than 10,000 frogs across a 30-mile area around Lake Titicaca have recently turned up dead, according to Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service.
In January, Bolivia and Peru signed a $500 million deal to clean up Lake Titicaca by the year 2025. However, whether the water frog survives to see these plans come to fruition is yet to be seen.
Will these frogs be able to survive, or go extinct?