Deformed frogs in Minnesota

Note: As of July 2001, the MPCA is no longer funded by the Minnesota Legislature to continue deformed frog research.

In the summer of 1995, students from the New Country School in Le Sueur, Minnesota, found large numbers of deformed frogs in a restored wetland on a farm near the Minnesota River. By the end of 1996, the MPCA had received numerous reports of deformed frogs from around the state.

Deformed frogs were also found in other parts of the country, generating widespread concern among scientists, health officials, and state and federal agencies. The MPCA began fieldwork in 1996 and researched the problem from 1997 through 2000. As of July 1, 2001, funding was eliminated for the MPCA to study the frogs.

To learn more about where the deformed frogs were first found, the research, and why it’s a concern visit:

• Background information
• Frequently asked questions about deformed frogs

Publications

• Investigation of Minnesota's Deformed Frogs - 1997 Legislative Fact Sheet
• Studies offer new insights into causes of deformed frogs August 17, 2009, MinnPost Article (reprinted with permission)

Notes from the field

• October 24, 2000
• September 1, 2000
• June 12, 2000

Links

• North American Amphibian Monitoring Program
• Minnesota Frog & Toad Calling Survey - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• A Thousand Friends of Frogs - Hamline University
• Malformed frogs in Minnesota - US Geological Society