How the critically endangered Anaimalai flying frog got a new home-ForumIAS Blog

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Source: The Hindu

Frog enthusiast in Kerala has constructed two ponds at Windermere Estate to restore the habitat for the Anaimalai flying frog.

Anaimalai flying frog (Racophorus pseudomalabaricus) is also known as the False Malabar Gliding Frog.
The frog is endemic to the southern part of the Western Ghats.

The frog is usually larger than bush frogs.
- Bush Frog is a species of Frog belonging to the family Rhacophoridae.
The female can grow up to three inches. Mating takes place usually between June and October during the rainy season.
The female creates foam nests on leaves, into which the eggs are laid and the male fertilises them.
The outer layer of foam protects the eggs from bacteria, predators and weather changes.
When the eggs hatch, the nest disintegrates and tadpoles drop into the water body below.

Conservation Status:

Threats:

This species is known from at least two protected areas, Indra Gandhi National Park and Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.
Outside the protected areas, it is threatened habitat loss caused by the conversion of forests to other uses as well as by timber extraction