Pre-cum-Mains GS Foundation Program for UPSC 2026 | Starting from 5th Dec. 2024 Click Here for more information
Source: The Hindu
What is the News?
Frog enthusiast in Kerala has constructed two ponds at Windermere Estate to restore the habitat for the Anaimalai flying frog.
About 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.
Characteristics of the Anaimalai flying frog:
- 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:
- IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
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
