Peculiarities
With a pointed snout, a lively gaze, and smooth, moist skin, the male Darwin’s frog—much like a seahorse—protects its young inside a pouch in its mouth. From this paternal womb, the tadpoles feed and develop into tiny frogs, almost identical to their father, before emerging to repopulate these magical places once more.
From time to time, a small yet vigorous whistle can be heard, resembling a bird’s call—it is the song of the little frog, filling every corner of its habitat. Here, Chilean stag beetle roam—though they are, in fact, giant beetles—and pudús, which are not only real deer but also among the smallest in the world.
Andrés Valenzuela Sánchez – Excerpt from the book “Descubriendo a la Ranita de Darwin”.
Darwin's frog is a native inhabitant of the temperate forests of southern Chile and Argentina.
IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group Chile (2018)
Its body is small and rarely exceeds 3 centimetres in length.
Its colour varies from bright green to dark brown, and along with its leaf-like shape, allows it to blend perfectly into its natural surroundings.
African Frog - Photography by Claudio Azat
Within its habitat, it can be found among coigües, canelos, arrayanes, lumas, tepas, olivillos, mañíos and many other plant species that make up the surrounding flora.
It is common to find the frog active during the day in small clearings in the middle of mature native forests, inhabiting the substrate made up of the most diverse mosses and ferns, as well as of leaf litter, branches and other elements of the undergrowth.
The diet of the Darwin's frog is made up of a wide variety of invertebrates that inhabit the forest, such as crickets, grasshopper, ants, myriapods, spiders, beetles, and some flying insects.
Molina-Burgos et al. (2018)
Unlike other amphibians, Darwin's frog does not depend on bodies of water—such as rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands, or lakes—to survive, but it does require high environmental humidity.
Darwin's Frog is 100% terrestrial.
The natural predators of Darwin’s frog likely include snakes and rhinocryptid birds (a group of Latin American birds also known as tapaculos, which are poor fliers), such as the chucao and the hued hued.
Hence its unique form of defence: when the frog is pursued, it takes a small leap and then lies on its back, remaining there, motionless, as if dead. This immobility reflex, combined with the contrasting colour of its belly, serves to confuse the predator and cause it to lose sight of the frog.
Chytridiomycosis, along with habitat loss (decline of the southern temperate native forests) and other contributing factors, has led to Darwin's frog being currently classified as "Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and by the Species Classification Regulation (RCE) of the Chilean Ministry of the Environment.
The disappearance of a sister
The Northern Darwin's Frog, also known as the Cowboy Toad, inhabits the native forests of the Cordillera de la Costa in central-southern Chile, ranging from Zapallar to Concepción. This species was first described in 1902 as belonging to a different genus from the Southern Darwin's Frog. It was not until 1975 that it was scientifically re-confirmed and classified within the *Rhinoderma* genus.
IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group Chile (2018)
Unlike the Southern Darwin's Frog, the males of this northern counterpart keep the tadpoles inside their vocal sacs for a short period of time, after which they release them into streams to complete their larval development and metamorphosis (the transformation from tadpole to frog). Another characteristic of this species is that it has well-developed interdigital membranes on its hind legs, an adaptation that likely aids in swimming.
Hind legs without webs
Hind legs with interdigital webs
Unfortunately, the Northern Darwin's Frog has not been observed since 1981 and is currently classified as a Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) species. If this is confirmed, it would mark the first Chilean animal to meet the tragic fate of extinction in modern times.
Binational Conservation Strategy of Darwin's frogs
In 2018, the Binational Conservation Strategy for Darwin's Frogs was launched (www.estrategiarhinoderma.org).
The strategic planning outlined in the strategy is summarised into 38 actions, grouped into 12 objectives and 3 goals, with a vision extending to 2028:
1) Generate and consolidate key information on the biology, management, and status of *Rhinoderma* populations.
2) Reduce the primary threats to these species to promote the self-sustainability of their populations.
3) Secure financial, legal, and societal support for the various actions.
This initiative has facilitated the creation and strengthening of a collaborative network of key stakeholders to implement conservation actions focused on Rhinoderma. For instance, the NGO Ranita de Darwin is working alongside various individuals and organisations to conserve R. darwinii and other amphibians on private land in southern Chile. This is being achieved through voluntary conservation agreements and legal mechanisms such as a Conservation agreement.(www.ranitadedarwin.org/landconservation).
In these videos you can find documentaries and programs about the Darwin's Frog in which we have collaborated:
To download the E-book Darwin's Frog and other incredible Chilean amphibians, click here
To download the book Darwin's Frog Conservation Strategy,click here
