Anomaloglossus kaiei facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anomaloglossus kaiei |
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Colostethus kaiei |
The Anomaloglossus kaiei is a type of frog from the Aromobatidae family. It's often called the Kaie rock frog. This frog was named after Kaie, a brave leader of the Patamona tribe. He sacrificed himself by going over the Kaieteur falls to save his people.
This frog lives only in Guyana, a country in South America. You can find it in Kaieteur National Park and the Pacaraima Mountains. Since it lives near the border, it might also be found in Brazil. These frogs are special because the mothers take care of their young. Female frogs can even feed their tadpoles with special eggs.
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What Does the Kaie Rock Frog Look Like?
A. kaiei frogs have colors that help them hide. Their back is a medium brown. They have a wide black stripe that goes from their nose all around their body. Just above this black stripe, there's a thin, white line.
The frog's upper lip, chin, and sides are a dirty white. They also have a few white or light blue dots. Their eyes are a shiny reddish-bronze color.
- Adult male frogs are about 18.9 mm long. Their throats are light grayish-pink with dark spots. Their stomachs are whitish.
- Adult female frogs are a bit larger, about 19.8 mm long. Their throats are bright yellow. Their stomachs are orangish-yellow.
What Do Tadpoles Look Like?
Young A. kaiei tadpoles are dark brown or almost black. The sides of their heads look light purple. This purple color comes from blood vessels you can see through their skin. Their back part is gray with dark brown spots. Their fins are clear.
After being preserved, the frog's colors change to grayish-brown. The black stripes and spots still stay visible.
Where Does the Kaie Rock Frog Live?
The A. kaiei frog has only been officially reported in Guyana. It lives in the Kaieteur National Park and the Pakaraima Mountains. These areas are part of the Guiana Shield in South America.
These frogs mostly live in thick, untouched forests. But they can also live in forests that have been changed a bit by humans. They are usually found between 150 meters and 450 meters above sea level. Some have even been found as high as 1,060 meters up! This frog does not travel far and is native to the Guiana Shield.
Protecting the Kaie Rock Frog
The biggest danger to the A. kaiei frog and its home is gold and diamond mining. This mining happens even inside Kaieteur National Park. It harms the frog's natural environment.
In 2017, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) said that A. kaiei is an endangered species. Its population seems to be stable, but it still needs protection. So far, there haven't been many big efforts to save this frog.
How Are These Frogs Related to Others?
The A. kaiei frog was first called Colostethus kaiei. Now, it's known that A. kaiei is most closely related to other frogs like A. beebei, A. roraima, and A. praderoi.
A. kaiei and A. beebei live in the same areas, like Kaieteur National Park. They shared a common ancestor about 6 to 12 million years ago.
Home and Territory of the Kaie Rock Frog
A. kaiei frogs are active during the day. They live on the ground in the forest, not just near water. Male frogs are very territorial. They will defend their space for several weeks to attract female mates. Their territories are on the forest floor. These areas are separate from where they reproduce.
What Do Kaie Rock Frogs Sound Like?
Male A. kaiei frogs make calls that sound like cricket chirps. Their calls have a main sound frequency of about 4.85 kHz. They make about 7.21 pulses per second. Each call note lasts about 31.69 milliseconds.
One study found that these frogs make about 74 calls in one minute. This can range from 49 to 101 calls. Since A. kaiei and A. beebei live in the same places, their calls might affect each other. This is because related species living together often change their signals to be different.
Types of Calls
Male A. kaiei frogs have three main types of calls:
- Advertisement calls: These are short calls with 1 or 2 pulses. They use these to attract mates.
- Aggressive calls: These are longer calls. They start with many fast advertisement calls, then a long series of pulses.
- Courtship calls: These are used when a male is trying to mate with a female.
Recently, scientists found a fourth call type: the pseudo-aggressive call. This call starts with several fast advertisement calls, followed by a 3-pulse call.
The "Dear Enemy" Effect
Scientists have studied A. kaiei and A. beebei together. They wanted to understand something called the "Dear Enemy" effect. This is when an animal reacts more strongly to a stranger of its own kind than to a neighbor. This is because strangers are more likely to compete for resources.
Both frog species use calls to show they own a territory. They also respond aggressively to other males calling nearby. Their aggressive actions follow similar steps:
- They first switch to aggressive calls.
- Then, they move towards the other male.
- Finally, they might fight by wrestling or chasing.
The big difference is that A. beebei shows the "Dear Enemy" effect, but A. kaiei does not. For most frogs, reacting the same way to neighbors and strangers is normal.
A. kaiei males don't defend places for raising young. They also live farther from their neighbors. They defend their territories for a shorter time, mostly to attract females. So, A. kaiei males treat neighbors and strangers the same way. Both are equal competition for mates.
A. kaiei frogs raise their young in water pools far from their territories. A. beebei frogs, however, include areas for tadpoles in their territories. For A. beebei, strangers are a bigger threat because they might take over territories. Neighbors already have their own spots, so they are less of a threat.
What Do Kaie Rock Frogs Eat?
A. kaiei tadpoles mostly eat dead plant and animal matter found in their water pools. Female frogs can also give their tadpoles special "trophic eggs." These eggs help the tadpoles grow faster. Faster growth means less chance of being eaten, drying out, or even eating each other. Crabs are often seen visiting pools where tadpoles live.
There isn't much information about what adult A. kaiei frogs eat.
How Do Kaie Rock Frogs Reproduce?
Male A. kaiei frogs claim calling and mating territories on the forest floor. They hold these spots for several weeks. They breed most often during the rainy season, from May to July. Males were heard making advertisement calls from April to August. They called much more often in March and April, before the main breeding season.
We don't know much yet about their courtship dances, how they lay eggs, or their mating positions.
A. kaiei frogs lay their eggs on land. This is how their ancestors in the Aromobatidae family used to do it. Females lay fertilized eggs on the underside of dead leaves in the male's calling territory.
Once the eggs hatch into tadpoles, the male frog is in charge. He carries the tadpoles from his territory to safe places to grow up. These places are usually pools of water on the forest floor or in plants like bromeliads. It's common to find tadpoles from different fathers sharing the same pool of water.
Images for kids
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A Kaie rock frog on a leaf.
See also
In Spanish: Anomaloglossus kaiei para niños
