STORY: This large Chilean frog species survived the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.

:: Quilpue, Chile

But now the amphibian, described by one researcher as a "living fossil", is facing severe threats from factors including climate change and pollution.

:: This Earth

The frog can grow over to 11 inches and weigh up to 2.20 lbs, making it the largest in Latin America.

Some live in rivers that cross highly populated urban areas which are often used as trash dumps.

A volunteer for a preservation project says the river - the habitat of the frog - is polluted by illegal drainage.

Veterinarian Melissa Cancino is the founder of the preservation project.

:: Melissa Cancino, Veterinarian

"Today, it is highly threatened by factors such as climate change, habitat fragmentation, environmental degradation, and pollution. So... gosh... it's really sad to know that a species that coexisted with dinosaurs, that survived a mass extinction, is now highly threatened because of humans."

:: Santiago, Chile

This vertebrate paleontologist analyzes frogs' fossils.

He said the large Chilean frog is unique due to its similarity to those that lived 77 million years ago.

In a breeding center, researchers hope studying the frog will help them prevent it from now becoming extinct.

If that happens, biologist Paulina Rivera warns, then there will be an impact on the food chain.

:: Paulina Rivera, Biologist

"If this frog disappears, many species related to it will also be affected, migratory birds, native fish too. So, we see the food chain as linear, but in truth, it's more about balance. It's not about good or bad, but if you lose a link, like a keystone, everything becomes unbalanced. Then, everything fails, the balance is not maintained."