DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
Caribbean islands: Dominica and Montserrat. This species lives in the dense vegetation of tropical rainforests.
BEHAVIOUR
Typical terrestrial lifestyle. Active at night and rests in hiding during the day.
DIET
Diet consists of insects, millipedes, spiders and land snails, as well as small vertebrates.
REPRODUCTION
The female, larger than the male, lays eggs in a hole she has dug. The tadpoles (25–43 per nest) develop unlike most frogs, on land in a foam nest guarded by their parents. Additionally, the female lays approximately 20 thousand unfertilized eggs, which are the only food for tadpoles. The metamorphosis of tadpoles lasts 45 days.
GOOD TO KNOW
Adults reach a length of 22 cm and weigh up to 1 kg. The species is also called mountain chicken due to the tradition of using its meat in local cuisine. Currently, it is critically endangered, also due to fungal disease chytridiomycosis and natural disasters.
- Latin name: LeptodactylusFallax
- IUCN Red List – CR – cricitally endangered
- CITES – Appendix II
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