Illinois Study Uncovers Illicit Online Frog Trade

Researchers find hundreds of amphibian species sold online without proper paperwork, raising concerns about conservation and biosecurity

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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A recent study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has uncovered a significant illicit online trade in non-native amphibians being sold as pets in the United States. The researchers collected nearly 8,500 listings representing 301 amphibian species from around the world, and found that 44 of those species had no official import paperwork and were sold at a 40% premium, suggesting they were likely smuggled or laundered. The study provides some of the first estimates of the scale of the unofficial amphibian pet trade and offers recommendations to improve sustainable trade practices.

Why it matters

The illicit trade of exotic amphibians as pets can have serious consequences, including the spread of pathogens, threats to wild populations, introduction of invasive species, and loss of revenue for biodiversity-rich developing countries. This study sheds light on the scale of this problem and the need for better regulation and oversight of the exotic pet trade.

The details

The researchers assembled a multidisciplinary team to analyze online classified ads for amphibians posted between 2004 and 2024. They collected nearly 8,500 listings representing 301 amphibian species from around the world. Comparing this data to official import records, they found that 44 species traded online had no official paperwork and were sold at a 40% premium, suggesting they were likely smuggled or laundered. The researchers were also able to map the origin of most unrecorded species, revealing animals that were likely smuggled out of their home countries to ones with more lax export regulations.

  • The study analyzed online classified ads posted between 2004 and 2024.

The players

Devin Edmonds

A herpetologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and lifelong frog collector who led the research project.

Jane Du

A doctoral student in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at the University of Illinois who helped curate the dataset.

Sam Sucre

The founder of Natural Tanks in Panama and a co-author of the study.

Sam Stickley

A teaching assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois and a co-author of the study.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The agency that maintains the Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS), which was used to compare official import records to the data collected in the study.

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What they’re saying

“The real value is in the final, verified dataset. It's thanks to my co-authors' domain knowledge that the raw listings, scraped straight from community forums, became an expert-curated dataset. I hope it can be a useful resource for other work going forward!”

— Jane Du, doctoral student in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at Illinois (Mirage News)

“The average is about $50 for a frog, but some of these frogs were selling for hundreds. I think the highest sale was $1,400 for one animal. That could reflect the rarity of the animal or the seller trying to capture the profit associated with smuggling or laundering certain species that are particularly profitable.”

— Devin Edmonds, herpetologist and doctoral student (Mirage News)

“Vague paperwork can become a loophole. If shipments are recorded only at the genus level, that ambiguity can be exploited to mask the true identities and origins of higher-risk or restricted species.”

— Sam Sucre, founder of Natural Tanks in Panama (Mirage News)

What’s next

The researchers suggest that raising awareness among domestic breeders and consumers, updating taxonomies to better identify sensitive species, and improving amphibian identification tools for wildlife inspectors are important next steps to improve the sustainability of the amphibian pet trade.

The takeaway

This study highlights the significant scale of the illicit online trade in exotic amphibians, which can have serious consequences for conservation, biosecurity, and the economies of biodiversity-rich developing countries. Addressing this problem will require a multi-faceted approach involving better regulation, enforcement, and engagement with the pet trade community.