JERDON’S NARROW-MOUTHED FROG

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Context: After 89 years, frog endemic to the higher altitudes of Western Ghats ‘rediscovered’.

Details:

• The Jerdon’s narrow-mouthed frog (Uperodon montanus) could once be spotted leaping over slippery pebbles or peeping from behind rocks in the shallows of streams in the upper reaches of the Western Ghats.

About:

• The frogs have a longish snout, which gives it its name, and shiny brown skin with darker brown, red and golden spots on the back and head.
• They are found in rock pools or tree holes filled with rainwater.
• This frog is considered a montane species and is restricted to higher altitude ranges of 800-1,700 metres.
• They are distributed from near Wayanad south across the Palghat and the Shencottah gaps to the Agasthyamalai hills.
• It is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
• Its tadpoles are free-swimming and exotrophic, which means they feed on other species.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/after-89-years-frog-endemic-to-the-higher-altitudes-of-western-ghats-rediscovered-88053