Conraua derooi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Conraua derooi |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification |
The Togo slippery frog (scientific name: Conraua derooi) is a special type of frog. It belongs to the Conrauidae family. This frog lives in the Togo-Volta Highlands. This area is right on the border of Togo and Ghana. It might only live in this specific region. For a long time, people thought this frog was gone forever. But between 2005 and 2007, scientists found some populations again! It had not been seen for over 20 years.
Contents
Why is it called derooi?
The second part of the frog's scientific name, derooi, is a tribute. It honors Antoon Emeric Marcel De Roo. He was a Belgian bird expert, also called an ornithologist. Antoon De Roo was part of the team. This team first discovered the Togo slippery frog.
Where does the Togo slippery frog live?
The Togo slippery frog lives in southwestern Togo. It also lives in nearby southeastern Ghana. These areas are part of the Togo-Volta Highlands. You can also find it in the Atewa Range in central Ghana. Some old records of another frog, Conraua alleni, from eastern Ghana and Togo, actually refer to this species. The first place this frog was found was Misahohé in western Togo.
What does the Togo slippery frog look like?
Togo slippery frogs are quite large. However, they are much smaller than their famous cousin, the goliath frog. Male Togo slippery frogs measure about 76 to 84 millimeters long. Females are slightly smaller, around 74 to 82 millimeters. Their heads are big, and their eyes stick out. They have a fairly small snout. You cannot see their eardrum (tympanum) from the outside.
Their back legs are very long and strong. Their toes are long and have special sticky pads. These pads help them grip surfaces. There is also webbing between their toes. This webbing goes about halfway up to the sticky pads. Their front legs are short but very muscular. Their fingers also have webbing.
Habitat and conservation
The Togo slippery frog lives in forests. It prefers areas with flowing water. These frogs spend all their time in the water. Their babies, called tadpoles, grow up in streams.
In 2004, experts thought only one group of these frogs was left. This was according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). But good news came between 2005 and 2007. Scientists found more groups of frogs in Ghana and Togo. This was exciting because they had not been seen for over two decades!
Even with these new findings, the Togo slippery frog is still in great danger. Its home is being destroyed or changed. People are also catching and eating these frogs. There are also some differences between the frogs living in the Atewa Range and those in the Volta Region. The groups of frogs inside the Atewa Range Forest Reserve seem healthy and large. These are probably the biggest groups left.
