| Darwin's Frog | ||||||||||||||
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| Rhinoderma darwinii (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) |
Darwin's Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) is a frog native to Chile and Argentina. It is named after Charles Darwin who discovered it on his world voyage on the HMS Beagle. . The most striking feature is the way the tadpoles are raised - inside the vocal sac of the male. The female lays about 30 eggs and then the male guards them for about 2 weeks. Then the male picks up all the survivors and carry around the developing young in their vocal pouch. The tadpoles develop in their baggy chin skin, feeding off their egg yolk. When the tiny froglets have developed (about half an inch) they hop out and swim away. The frog is brown to green with a size of 2.5-3.5cm. It eats insects and other arthropods.
References
- Úbeda et al (2004). Rhinoderma darwinii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 8 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable
