Rose's ghost frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rose's ghost frog |
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The Rose's ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei) is also known as the Table Mountain ghost frog. It is a special type of frog that lives only in South Africa. This frog is medium-sized and has cool purple or brown spots on a light green body. It also has big, sticky pads on its fingers and toes.
You can only find this frog on the slopes of parts of Table Mountain in Cape Town. Its babies, called tadpoles, live in streams that flow all year. Sadly, these streams are drying up because of pine tree farms. Because of its small home and changes to its habitat, this frog is in big trouble. It is listed as critically endangered, which means it's very close to disappearing forever.
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What Does It Look Like?
This frog is a medium size. The female frogs can grow up to about 60 mm long. The male frogs are a bit smaller, growing up to 50 mm long.
Adult frogs have amazing colours. They are often light green with purple or brown blotches. Their fingers and toes have large, triangle-shaped sticky pads. These pads help them climb. They also have a small "thumb" on each hand. Their feet are half-webbed, meaning the skin between their toes doesn't go all the way to the end.
The tadpoles of this frog are also special. They have a large mouth that helps them stick to things. This lets them climb up wet, rocky surfaces!
Where Does It Live?
This unique frog lives only in one small area. You can find it on the southern, eastern, and a small part of the western slopes of Table Mountain. This mountain is located in Cape Town, South Africa.
Its Home
The Rose's ghost frog likes to live in wet, forested areas called gorges. These places often have tall, rocky walls. They also live near streams that have thick plants growing around them. These stream areas are usually found higher up on the mountain.
The tadpoles need water all year round to survive. Adult frogs can move away from the streams. Sometimes, they are even found hiding in caves!
Daily Life
At night, these frogs are active. You might find them sitting on rock ledges or climbing in plants. During the day, they like to hide. They usually go under large rocks or into cracks in the rocks to stay safe.
What Does It Eat?
These frogs are insect eaters! They munch on a variety of small insects. They also eat other tiny creatures that live in the forest, like spiders and mites.
Life Cycle and Babies
Breeding season for these frogs starts in November. This is when the streams are low, but the weather is warm. Male frogs grow small black spines on their forearms, back, and upper back legs during this time. These spines help them hold onto the female during mating.
No one has found the eggs of this frog yet. However, in other similar frog species, the eggs are laid under rocks in streams. The tadpoles take a long time to grow up. They develop for about 12 months before they turn into frogs.
Why Is It in Danger?
The Rose's ghost frog is in serious trouble. It is listed as critically endangered by a group called the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It's also listed in the South African Red Data Book, which tracks endangered species.
There are only a few of these frogs left. They live in a very small area. The biggest threat to them is the pine tree farms on Table Mountain. These farms use a lot of water, which causes the streams to dry up. Many streams where Heleophryne rosei used to live were changed in the 1900s. Their water was redirected to fill new reservoirs on Table Mountain.
This frog family, Heleophrynidae, is very old. They have been around since the Mesozoic Era, which was the time of the dinosaurs! Because they are so important to understanding frog evolution, H. rosei is listed as #11 on a special list called the EDGE species. EDGE stands for "Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered." This means they are unique and need urgent protection.
