Gastrotheca pacchamama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gastrotheca pacchamama |
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The Gastrotheca pacchamama is a special type of frog that belongs to the Hemiphractidae family. This frog is found only in Peru, meaning it is endemic there. So far, it has only been seen in the Ayacucho Region, which is part of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range.
What's in a Name? The Ayacucho Marsupial Frog
The name Gastrotheca pacchamama has a cool story! The second part, pacchamama, comes from Pachamama. She is a very important goddess for the native people of the Andes mountains. Her name comes from the Quechuan words paccha, meaning "earth," and mama, meaning "mother."
This frog was named after Pachamama because some of the first frogs found were hiding under stones. Travelers often placed food under these stones as an offering to Pachamama. They did this to ask her for a safe journey. Because of where it lives, this frog is also known by a common name: the Ayacucho marsupial frog.
Meet the Ayacucho Marsupial Frog: Appearance
These frogs are quite small. Male frogs can grow up to about 37.5 mm (1.5 in) long, and females can reach about 38 mm (1.5 in) from their snout to their rear end.
Let's look at some of their features:
- Head and Face: Their head is a little wider than it is long. The front of their face, called the snout, looks rounded when you see it from above or from the side. The eardrum, or tympanum, can be dark brown, red, green, or gray. A fold of skin above it covers the top part of the eardrum.
- Hands and Feet: Their fingers do not have any webbing between them. They have small discs on their fingertips, which are only a bit wider than their fingers. On their feet, the first three toes also don't have webbing. The other toes have webbing only at their base. The discs on their toes are smaller than the ones on their fingers.
- Colors: The back of the frog, called the dorsum, can be tan, red, gray, or green. Most of these frogs have a darker bar of color between their eyes. Many also have dark lines along their back, or even spots and flecks. Their sides are a plain, pale gray. The underside of their body is a pale, creamy tan, often with dark flecks.
Where They Live and How They Are Protected
The Gastrotheca pacchamama is a land-dwelling frog. It lives in puna grasslands, which are high-altitude grasslands found in the Andes. These frogs live at an elevation of about 3,710 m (12,170 ft) above sea level.
The first frogs of this species were found hiding under rocks. Some male frogs were heard calling during the day from rocky areas covered in moss.
We don't know a lot about the Gastrotheca pacchamama because it lives in a remote area. We also don't know what might threaten them, but experts believe there aren't many big dangers right now, especially because of where they live. This frog is not currently found in any protected natural areas.
