Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Creature Feature #269: Ghost Frog

The Ghost Frog Family consists of seven species found in South Africa. He is typically found in or around fast-moving streams. His body is slightly flattened, allowing him to squeeze into cracks during the day. As dusk falls, he comes out to forage, using his has large toe discs to help him cling to the rocks as he hunts for insects, arthropods and smaller frogs. The tadpoles' mouthparts are modified into large suckers, so that they can remain in one place while feeding on algae. Due to their limited range, all species are threatened by environmental degradation and also the virulent fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, which is decimating frog populations worldwide.

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