Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Peculiar Purple Frog

Only discovered in 2003, the purple frog, also known as the pignose frog, is a living fossil and the only member of the Nasikabatrachus genus.
The purple frog was discovered by researchers in the Western Ghats region of southern India. Its distinctive appearance includes a bloated body, short legs and an extremely small head. The frog lives almost all of its life underground, using its pointed snout to easily access termite tunnels. The purple frog only comes above ground for a few weeks each year to find a mate. It also has a quite interesting call that sounds more like a chicken than a frog.
As purple frogs have only been found in small numbers in India they are considered endangered. Researchers propose that the purple frog’s only living relatives are on the Seychelles Islands, which were once joined with India millions of years ago.

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