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Global warming threatens critically endangered Taurus frog

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mert Karış, an expert on herpetology, the branch of zoology concerned with reptiles and amphibians, said the first member of the species was discovered over 120 years ago in the areas of the Karagöl and Çiniligöl lakes, located in the Bolkar Mountains. Touching on the threats to the species, he pointed to the risk of the drying of lakes and puddles as he underlined that many of the habitats where the population lives dry up from the hot summer towards the September-October period.

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"In the 1990s, the residents' unnatural release of carps in Karagöl and Çiniligöl became a serious problem for Taurus frogs in the early 2000s as carps are predators and the eggs of Taurus frogs are among their favorite foods," he said. Later, the number of carp in those lakes significantly decreased thanks to protection efforts as well as some projects carried out by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), he noted.