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Malagasy Rainbow Frog

Scaphiophrye gottlebei
The Malagasy Rainbow Frog, also known as the Painted Burrowing Frog, is a small species found only near the Isalo Massif in Madagascar.

These colorful Amphibians grow to only 3-4cm in size, with the females being slightly larger than the males. They have bright red and green patterning on their backs, interspersed with black and grey. As tadpoles they are all black. These frogs have horny tubercles on their feet which help them to burrow underground. They are primarily terrestrial, and are actually poor swimmers.

As you may have guessed from the mention of their small range, the Malagasy Rainbow Frogs are endangered. Each year they are collected by the thousands-- their bright colors make them sought after in the illegal pet trade. Luckily most of their habitat is protected within a national park. And they do have a very fast reproduction rate, which also helps. However, because they live in only one area, an increase in hunting or habitat loss, or a natural disaster could wipe them all out.
IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : Madagascar
Size : Body length up to 4cm
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Amphibia -- Order : Anura
Family : Microhylidae -- Genus : Scaphiophryne -- Species : S. gottlebei
Image : Franco Andreone
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Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 16, 2016 at 10:47 PM

    this wasnt that helpful! maybe put what it eats and more info abt it :)

    ReplyDelete

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