Ural zoologists caught and transparent six-fingered amphibians in the five-kilometer buffer zone of contamination around the city. Mutation of amphibians began in the forests around the city of Krasnouralsk (Sverdlovsk oblast), where an abandoned chemical plant was discovered hundreds of tons of abandoned chemicals and explosives lying in the free access.
Scientists from the Ural Federal University in the framework of the monitoring made another catch common frogs near the town of Krasnouralsk.
We worked in 5 km from the city, in the buffer zone, which falls in the zone of technogenic emissions. Such unique pieces we have not seen. This anomaly may be related to genetics, ” says head of the Department of Zoology Institute of natural Sciences Ural Federal district Vladimir Vershinin.
Scientists caught 60 of amphibians, two of which were unique. Ordinary frog on its front legs, four fingers on the back. In this case, amphibian on the front legs grew five fingers and on the back six. Moreover, she grew more fingers and forearms.
The second caught a rare instance partially has no pigmentation. Amphibians depigmentirovannah the iris of the eye and abdomen: through the transparent wall of the stomach shows all the internal organs, you can see how the heart works.
— Individual development of frogs occurs in an open environment and exposed to all the external factors — continues Vladimir Vershinin. – Chemistry of the environment, the lighting, even the normal salinity of the water and emitted substances all can affect the development.
According to the scientist, in any population meets a certain percentage of the anomaly, but if it begins to meet EN masse – it is an occasion to reflect. To do this, and constant monitoring. Scientists regularly collect rare instances of deviations. In the near future will create cryostorages, where at a temperature of -200 degrees of mutants can be stored forever.
The current caught specimens will be investigated, while no one can argue that the mutation affected the situation at an abandoned chemical plant, but do not rule out this possibility. In addition to explosives, there is in derelict condition 12 of the oleum tank, 10 tanks of melange and 3 tanks of toluene. Liquid chemicals are spilled on the earth and made orange lake, where, quite possibly, could get freshwater.
The emergence of a huge number of legs of frogs can be caused by parasites. While in the water, cercaria larvae embedded in tadpoles in those places where then is the formation of the limbs.
