Save the Mississippi Gopher Frog

(Jackson, Mississippi) Once plentiful on the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi gopher frog now resides only in three south Mississippi ponds.

Considered endangered, the frog is black, brown or gray in color and about three inches long. The dwindling population of frogs is being blamed partly on political corruption in the Bush administration.

According to a lawsuit filed by The Center for Biological Diversity, the Bush administration has failed to provide protection for the slimy, little amphibians. Biodiversity advocate Will Hodges accused the Interior Department of being "downright hostile to wildlife" while policy director Kieran Suckling said the government has no plan to save the gopher frog.

Also included in the lawsuit are the Santa Ana Sucker, the Mexican garter snake, the Spikedace, loach minnows and the fluvial arctic grayling.