Saturday, October 3, 2009

10 Strangest Frogs





Malagasy Rainbow Frog

The Malagasy rainbow frog lives in the rocky dry forests of Madagascar's Isalo Massif, where it breeds in shallow temporary pools found in canyons. This species is well adapted to climbing
in its rocky surroundings, and can even scale vertical surfaces! When threatened, this frog will inflate itself as a defence mechanism against predators.

Transparent Frog






Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum, also called as glass or crystal frog
because you can see through its transparent flesh (right down
to its guts).This guy's not new, but he's definitely endangered,
so the finding is heartening for environmentalists.


Atelopus Frog






The atelopus frog is known by many names such as the clown frog
or the Costa Rican Variable Harlequin Toad. Whatever you call
the frog, it is a neo-tropical toad that was once quite wide
spread living throughout Costa Rica and Panama. The species
is listed as critically endangered and is thought to be living
primarily in Panama today.



World's Smallest Frog






Generally speaking, higher altitude means larger animals. But the
world's smallest known frog species lives high in the Andes
Mountains of southern Peru, between 9,925 and 10,466 feet.


World's Largest Frog






The goliath frog or Conraua goliath is the largest extant anuran
on Earth.It can grow up to 13 inches (33 cm) in length from
snout to vent, and weighs up to 8 lb (3 kg). This animal has
a relatively small habitat range,mainly in West Africa
(near Gabon). The goliath frog can live up to
15 years. Goliath frogs eat scorpions, insects and smaller frogs.
These frogs have acute hearing but no vocal sac.



Red Mantella Frog






As suggested by the name, the Red Mantella has an orange/red
dorsal surface. These frogs are small, reaching a size of
2.5 centimetres(1 in) in length. It is is a small, terrestrial
frog native to Madagascar.



Poison Dart Frog






Poison dart frog, like this sapphire-blue species, is the common name
of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to
Central and South America. Unlike most frogs, species are active
during the day, and often exhibit brightly-colored bodies.
Although all dendrobatids are at least somewhat toxic in the wild,
levels of toxicity vary considerably from one species to the next, and
from one population to another. Many species are critically
endangered.These amphibians are often called "dart frogs"
due to indigenous Amerindians' use of their toxic secretions
to poison the tips of blowdarts.



Ornate Horned Frog






The ornate horned frog can grow up to six inches long and inhabits
Uruguay, Brazil, and northern Argentina. While it may look like
a lifeless pincushion, it's quick to lunge when lizards, small rodents,
birds, or other frogs blunder by.



Chile Darwin's frog






The Chile Darwin's frog was fairly regularly seen until around 1978,
since when it seems to have disappeared, and the species may now
be extinct. This species, which lives in the leaf litter on the forest
floor, has an unusual method of parental care; the male takes
the fertilised eggs from the nest into his vocal sac where they
hatch into tadpoles after approximately eight days. When he
starts to feelthe newly hatched tadpoles wriggling, the male
carries them to a stream where he expels the young. Here
they complete metamorphosis.



Vietnamese Mossy Frog






Theloderma corticale, or the Vietnamese mossy frog, is a species
of frog in the Rhacophoridae family. It is found in Vietnam
and possibly China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or
tropical moist lowland forests, intermittent freshwater marches,
and rocky areas. The common name of the mossy frog arises
from the fact that its skin is a mottled green and black that
resembles moss growing on rock, and forms an effective
form of camouflage.


Some people have this frog as a pet. The price of this beautiful
animal isabout $45-$75 (each).

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