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Chytrid fungus has unfortunately been reported in a few Danish amphibian species (personal observation, unpublished). So far its presence has not been associated with any mortalities in Denmark but it is likely that the changes induced by climate change might alter the amphibian-fungus relationship and interactions which might lead to reduced fitness and mortalities (Bosch et al., 2006; Rohr & Raffel, 2010)

Rohr, J. R., & Raffel, T. R. (2010). Linking global climate and temperature variability to widespread amphibian declines putatively caused by disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(18), 8269-8274.

Bosch, J., Carrascal, L. M., Duran, L., Walker, S., & Fisher, M. C. (2006). Climate change and outbreaks of amphibian chytridiomycosis in a montane area of Central Spain; is there a link?. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274(1607), 253-260.

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The effect of climate changes in Denmark are thought to be increased temperatures, increased precipitation (especially in winter) and rising sea levels. Further do we expect more extreme weather as a consequence of climate changes (Oleson et al., 2014). Increased precipitation may help provide additional habitats for amphibians in the future. But extreme weather situations can prove a fatal challenge for both amphibians and reptiles. Thus, in 2018, Denmark experienced one of the worst summer droughts in its history (Figure 1) and many animals have likely suffered during this period.

Olesen, M., Madsen, K. S., Ludwigsen, C. A., Boberg, F., Christensen, T., Cappelen, J., ... Christensen, J. H. (2014). Fremtidige Klimaforandringer i Danmark. DMI

Figure 1: A section of Denmark in July 2017 (left) and the same section in July 2018 (right). (Photo: ESA)

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It is believed that climate changes and especially warmer temperatures will increase the risk of getting new invasive species in Denmark or provide better circumstances for current ones (www.klimatilpasning.dk). For example might The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) get even better living conditions posing an even larger threat to the native species. The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), which so far has not established any populations in Denmark, might also suddenly be able to proliferate in the Danish nature due to climate changes (Figure 3).

https://www.klimatilpasning.dk/sektorer/natur/invasive_arter (accessed 25.03.2019)

Figure 3: The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) are an important invasive species in many of the neighbouring countries to Denmark. With climate change this species might also soon be regularly seen in Denmark.

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One species of snake (Natrix natrix) and four amphibian species (Bufo bufo, Lissotriton vulgaris, Rana temporaria and Rana arvalis) live in Utterslev Bog. Especially Rana arvalis is of interest needing special protection under EU. (read more)

All though there exist no direct data on, it is believed that other species of amphibians likely existed in the area before the serious pollution events. The present amphibian species likely also had larger populations sizes than what we see today.

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Many lakes found near larger cities unfortunately has invasive species because naive people release them to the wild when they get to large or when they loose interest in them. In Utterslev Bog The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is frequently spotted and it is believed that several individuals live there posing a threat to the local amphibian fauna.

Photo: The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is a frequent occurring invasive species in many Danish lakes (denstoredanske.dk).

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For a long period waste water from the city and the industry was heedlessly poured into the lakes. This resulted in heavy pollution and in 1970 the waters of Utterslev Bog were marked as dead. Ever since several different initiatives have been started to fix the water quality but it is a very slow process and a few years ago the lake again suffered resulting in mass mortalities of especially fish (personal observation and communication with fish experts at the Natural History Museum).
The high levels of both biological and chemical pollution in the lakes are a serious threat to the amphibian species in Utterslev Bog.

Photo: Fish death caused by eutrophication (videnskab.dk).

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Just north of Copenhagen (capital of Denmark) and just next to where I live is Utterslev Bog. The area is around 220ha of which around 100ha is water. Utterslev Bog is a combination of lakes, bogs, small islands and surrounding vegetation. In earlier days the bog has both been used as drinking water reservoir and for harvesting peat. It became a protected area in 2000.

Photo: Utterslev Bog with the iconic Grundtvigs Church in the background (photo).

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As temperature rises species will tend to move northwards (or southwards in the southern hemisphere) to stay within their temperature optimum (Bradshaw & Holzapfel, 2006) and reptiles in Spain has for example been shown to have changed their distribution northward (Moreno-Rueda et al., 2012). Geographic barriers that hinder movement are therefore very important and in Europe it is believed that 98% of the reptile species will go extinct or undergo range retraction if they are restricted in their movement (Araújo, Thuiller & Pearson, 2006).
The large area of intensely farmed land in Denmark will therefore be a pronounced barrier for the amphibian and reptile species in Denmark that need to shift their distribution because of climate change and will likely hinder it completely. This will pose a serious threat for the Danish species. Some species having their Northern distribution edge in Denmark (e.g. Alpine Newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) and European Green Toad (Pseudepidalea viridis)) might however experience a population increase as temperatures rises and become more favourable. Species found south of Denmark (or who previously was found in Denmark) like the The Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) may also move northward and cross the Danish border (Figure 2).

Araújo, M. B., Thuiller, W., & Pearson, R. G. (2006). Climate warming and the decline of amphibians and reptiles in Europe. Journal of biogeography, 33(10), 1712-1728.

Bradshaw, W. E., & Holzapfel, C. M. (2006). Evolutionary response to rapid climate change. Science, 312(5779), 1477-1478.

Moreno-Rueda, G., Pleguezuelos, J. M., Pizarro, M., & Montori, A. (2012). Northward shifts of the distributions of Spanish reptiles in association with climate change. Conservation Biology, 26(2), 278-283.

Figure 2: The Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) may move northwards from Germany and once again be found in Denmark.

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Finding partners, collaborators and sponser

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Finding partners, collaborators and sponser

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H&M, LEGO and Ben&Jerry's has already expressed a large interest in the project and are willing to invest capital in the further development. Grant and Funds might also be potential ways of obtaining further capital.

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We have set up a fond and NGO called the "rainbow caecilian foundation" which purpose is to bring awareness to the public about this amazing create, its threats and how to preserve it.

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It is important to investigate if there are any safety issues if humans consume the compound and/or any safety issues if human wear clothing containing this compound. Proper initiatives to investigate this will be set in place.

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1 year

Establish the "rainbow caecilian foundation"

Apply for all permits

Engage local government, people and NGOs

Initiate safety investigations

2 year

Have permits

Preliminary results for safety

Obtain external funding from fonds and collaborators

Start captive breeding

3+ year

Obtain all nessecary permits for human use

Start a protective program for the species

create products and earn money

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It is important that our company applies to the Nagoya protocol. Therefore we need to make sure that any profit gained from the compound is also for the benefit for the country where the species live. We therefore arrange partnerships with local NGOs and companies to i) assess the status of the animal and ii) investigate if and how the animal can be captive bred. Further do we collaborate with local government to make sure all rules and regulations are meet and to obtain all the necessary permissions.

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A compound has been found in an African caecilian species. The compound, found on the skin of the animal, makes the animal change colour depending on which day of the week it is. We want to investigate if this compound can be used in for example human food or clothing articles.

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business plan of a small enterprise

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How does climate change affect the amphibians and reptiles in your HerpetoArea?

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THEME 3. Physiology and ecology of the herpetofauna

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THEME 3. Physiology and ecology of the herpetofauna

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Species profiles of one amphibian and one reptile species

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(amphibiaweb.org)

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This species is considered to have s stable population in Denmark.

Road kills

Natural enemies (fox, birds, hedgehogs etc.)

People mistaking it for a snake

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The Slowworm (Anguis fragilis) can reach a length of up to 40 cm although rarely seen as older individuals often loose their tails. They can be found all over the Denmark in heterogeneous habitats. Despite their wide distribution they are however rarely seen because of their hidden and shy nature. (Read more)

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that the slowworm is not really a worm or a snake but in fact a legless lizard...

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(wikipedia)

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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilie
Order: Squamata
Family: Anguidae
Genus: Anguis
Species: A. fragilis

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This species is highly dependent on open waterholes with little surrounding vegetation and no presence of larger fish and limited competition from other amphibians. Further does it actively prey on asphalt making road kills a particular threat.

Road kills

Habitat degradation and destruction

Release of fish into lakes (put and take)

Eutrophication and drainage

hytrid fungus? (has been detected but with no apparent effect)

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that the colour pattern is unique for every individual making it possible to track the same animal year after year.

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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Pseudepidalea
Species: P. viridis

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(europe-aliens.org)

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The European Green Toad is about 6 - 9 cm long and with a similar appearance of the European toad (Bufo bufo) but with more beautiful colouration.
It is estimated that there are about 20,000 individuals of P. viridis in Denmark of which half is found in one single location. (Read more)

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European Green Toad (Pseudepidalea viridis)

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European Green Toad (Pseudepidalea viridis)

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(wikipedia)

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Signs of degradation in previously rich areas of your HerpetoArea

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There are only three species of salamanders in Denmark and the Alpine Newt is the most rare only found a few places. Denmark represent the northern edge of its distribution. Like many other species it has especially been threatened by the loss of habitat and then the Danish large areas of farming has been a barrier for movement. On private initiative in 1988 a large effort, cleaning ponds and creating new one, resulted in a marked increase in suitable habitats for the Alpine newt.
(read more)

Picture: Alpine Newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) (www.reptilesmagazine.com)

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The Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) has actually been considered extinct in Denmark since 1914 although a single possible finding was reported in 1974 although never confirmed. It is however possible that the snake still exist in Denmark because it is extremely difficult to find (read more). There has even been talk about training dogs to find (smell) the snakes in their search.

Picture: Coronella austriaca (photo: Chistan Fisher)

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Bombina Bombina (European fire-bellied toad)

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Bombina Bombina (European fire-bellied toad)

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The European fire-bellied toad (Bombin bombina) is rare and endangered but can be found a few places in Denmark. Because of its endangered status, the Zoological garden in Copenhagen is conducting a breeding program. They capture the tadpoles in the wild, breed them in secure facilitates and then release them to the same place they were captured (read more). As a note, during my bachelor I screened several of the Danish populations for the chytrid fungus and unfortunately found it although no severe dieback has so far been reported from it.

Picture: Bombina bombina (www.avernakoelandhotel.dk)

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Some key species

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An old sea snake found in Denmark which was related to present days boas and pythons.

Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Palaeophiidae (extinct)
Genus:  Palaeophis (extinct)

Age: 50 million years
Place of found:  Mors  (2011)
(read more)

Illustration: Tieba Baidu

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This is a very well preserved fossil of a sea turtle found in 2008 in Denmark.

Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Cheloniidae (sea turtles)
Genus: Not yet described (probably new)

Age: 53 million years
Place of found:  Nykøbing Mors  (2008)
(read more)

Picture: The very well preserved fossil of "Luffe" (www.videnskab.dk)

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Small islands surrounded by saltwater is not a place where you expect to find amphibians. However, the artificial small island of Peberholmen in Denmark is one of such places. Here the very rare and endangered European green toad (Bufo viridis) can be found.

Picture: Peberholmen, an artificial island constructed as part of the connection between Denmark and Sweden (wikipedia.org).

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Heaths occur on dry, nutrient poor and often sandy soils. All larger heaths in Denmark are protected areas. Especially the only venomous snake in Denmark, the common European adder (Vipera berus), can be found here.

Picture: Danish heaths are often dominated by heather plants like this cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) (wikipedia.org).

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With around 120.000 lakes in Denmark these are very important habitats for amphibian and turtle species. One example is The European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina) one of the most rare amphibian species in Denmark.

Picture: Furesø - the deepest lake in Denmark with a maximum depth of 37.7 meters (www.kingfish.dk).

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Denmark, being part of Scandinavia, do not have a lot of amphibians or reptiles. There are 14 species of amphibians (3 salamanders and 11 frogs and toads), 2 species of snakes (and 2 believed to have gone extinct in Denmark), 3 lizards and 1 turtle (Emys orbicularis) which has been reintroduced after going extinct in Denmark. On top of this there are a few introduced/invasive species.