Urban Amphibians

Amphibians are said to be one of the most habitat specific organisms. Many of them are known as indicator species as they are found only in certain type of conditions and thus indicate presence of such conditions around them.

But, on the contrary, several other species have adapted themselves to a variety of habitats including areas which are heavily disturbed by human activities.

The place where I live is not a part of the main city but has a considerable amount of human interference with the fragmented patches of vegetation. Right from the beginning of the rains, me and Mandar have been conducting surveys along the bypass which passes through my locality. To our astonishment, we documented various species of bush frogs, Beddome's Frog, Ornate narrow mouthed Frog, lots of Cricket frogs, Common Indian Toad etc.

Ornate Narrow mouthed Frog (Click to enlarge)

This list also includes one of the most beautiful frog species of the Western Ghats - The Malabar Gliding Frog.

The Malabar Gliding Frog is a tree frog with beautiful colouration. Its body is green in colour and the webbing in feet (which is used for gliding) is bright red.

Hind limb of Malabar Gliding Frog (Click to enlarge)

This frog can actually glide from one tree to other from higher height to a lower one.

As its name suggests, it is endemic to the Malabar (Region from Western Ghats to the West coast) region. It makes foam nests on trees overhanging pools of water. Few years back, such a nest was located near a building in the Ponda city. These frogs are common in the forests of Western ghats during the monsoon but finding them in the center of a city is a bit uncommon.

Our finding of this frog near my house might sound like a good news at first, but the part of the story is that both the specimens I found were found dead on the road. They might have bumped into a vehicle while gliding as they were not crushed.

There were several such frogs which we saw already been crushed or getting crushed under the wheels of speeding vehicles. But we can't blame the driver as most of the frogs are so small that you can't even see them, forget about avoiding them.

But atleast the bigger ones can be avoided and please see to it that you do your part when you are driving.

As I have mentioned earlier, many species of amphibians which are specific to a particular habitat are pushed into the danger zone due to large scale habitat destruction. Climate change has also threatened the existence of the species which are adaptable to only a narrow temperature range. In Goa, yet another cause for decline in their population is their consumption, especially of the Indian and Jerdon's Bull Frog.

Please don't get involved in Frog poaching and consumption activities. If you find someone else involved, contact the Forest Dept. or call me (9545436161)

Drive responsibly during the night.

Don't use harmful pesticides in your fields or gardens which can affect the surrounding amphibians.

PLAY YOUR PART TO SAVE THE FROG