Gunther's streamlined frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gunther's streamlined frog |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification |
Nannophrys guentheri (also known as Gunther's streamlined frog) was a type of frog that is now extinct. This means it no longer exists on Earth. It belonged to the frog family Dicroglossidae.
This special frog lived only in Sri Lanka, an island country. Scientists first identified it in 1882. It was named after Albert Günther, a famous zoologist from Germany and Britain. We do not know exactly where in Sri Lanka these frogs were found.
Contents
Understanding Gunther's Streamlined Frog
How Scientists Classify This Frog
Scientists group living things into categories. This is called Taxonomy. Nannophrys guentheri has not been seen since the first frogs were collected. The original samples were not very clear. Some scientists think it might have been the same as another frog called Nannophrys ceylonensis.
The group of frogs called Nannophrys used to be in a large frog family called Ranidae. But after studying their DNA, scientists moved them to a different family, the Dicroglossidae family.
What Gunther's Streamlined Frog Looked Like
Nannophrys guentheri was a small frog. Males were about 28.5 millimeters long from their snout to their rear end. That's about the length of a small paperclip!
Here are some details about its body:
- It had small teeth on the roof of its mouth, behind its inner nostrils.
- Its lower jaw had tiny bony bumps in the front.
- The frog's head was quite small and not bony.
- It had a short, rounded snout with a clear ridge from its snout to its eye.
- The space between its eyes was narrower than its upper eyelid.
- Its eardrum was not very clear.
Its Fingers and Toes
The first finger on its hand was shorter than the second. The difference in length between the first and second fingers was much bigger than between the second and third. The tips of its fingers were pointed.
Its toes had a short but very clear web at the base. The small bumps under its fingers and toes were not very developed. It had a long, unclear bump on the inside of its foot, but no bump on the outside.
Its Legs and Skin
When its hind leg was brought forward along its body, the joint where its lower leg meets its foot reached the tip of its snout. This means it had long legs!
Its skin was very bumpy on top and smooth underneath. A fold of skin connected the back edges of its upper eyelids. This fold also went from its eye, over its eardrum, and down to its shoulder.
Its Colors and Special Features
The frog's upper parts were brown and had darker patterns. Its upper lip, sides of its body, and limbs had small light spots. Its hind limbs had dark stripes across them. The underside of the frog was plain whitish. Male frogs had two internal vocal sacs, which are pouches they use to make croaking sounds.
Nannophrys guentheri looked more slender than its relative, Nannophrys ceylonensis. This was because of its longer hind limbs and smaller head. The way its fingers were proportioned was also different between the two species.
