Barbourula busuangensis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barbourula busuangensis |
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The Barbourula busuangensis is a special type of frog that belongs to the family called Bombinatoridae. People also know it by other names like the Philippine flat-headed frog or the Palawan flat-headed frog. This frog is found only in certain places, which means it is endemic to the Busuanga, Culion, Balabac, and Palawan islands in the Philippines. It loves to live in clear, clean streams. Sadly, its home is shrinking, which puts it in danger.
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What Does the Philippine Flat-Headed Frog Look Like?
The Barbourula busuangensis is a large frog that lives in water. Its body is quite flat from top to bottom. Its nose and eyes are on the very top of its head. This helps it see and breathe while floating in the water.
This frog does not have outside eardrums, which are called tympani. Both its front and back legs are very strong. Its fingers and toes are webbed, just like a duck's feet. This helps it swim really well! Its skin is covered with tiny bumps called tubercles. The frog is usually a dark greenish-black color. It might also have some light green spots or lines on its back legs.
Where Does This Frog Live?
This unique frog lives only in the western part of the Philippines. You can find it on the islands of Busuanga, Culion, Balabac, and Palawan.
It prefers to live in fast-moving, clean streams. These streams are usually found in tropical forests that are not very high up, less than 800 m (2,600 ft) asl. The frog often floats on the surface of the water. But if it feels scared or someone disturbs it, it quickly dives to the bottom and hides.
How Does the Philippine Flat-Headed Frog Reproduce?
Scientists do not know much about how this rare frog breeds. They have never seen its tadpoles. However, they have found female frogs carrying large, uncolored eggs.
This makes scientists think that the frog babies might grow directly from the egg. This means they might skip the tadpole stage completely! It is a very interesting idea. Researchers have tried to get these frogs to breed in labs, but they have not been successful yet.
Why Is This Frog Important to Protect?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says this frog is "near threatened". This means it could become endangered soon if we do not protect it.
There are a few reasons why this frog is in danger:
- It lives in only a few places.
- The groups of frogs are separated from each other.
- The number of these frogs is going down.
The biggest problems for the Barbourula busuangensis are:
- Its home (habitat) is getting damaged.
- Farming methods are changing.
- People are digging for rocks (quarrying) and minerals (mining).
- Pollution from farms runs into the streams where the frogs live.
Protecting these streams and forests is very important to help this special frog survive!
