Photo of the Day 409

Tree Frog, Pacific Islands, 2003

Photograph by Tim Laman

A tree frog shows off its broad and effective grip while clinging to a tree trunk in the Pacific Islands. Frogs—particularly tropical species—are vanishing at alarming rates, in part due to disease epidemics attributed to climate change. Amphibian skin is incredibly thin, making frogs acutely susceptible to changes in temperature, humidity, or water quality.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Hotspots: Preserving Pieces of a Fragile Biosphere," March 2003, National Geographic magazine)