Javan chorus frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Javan chorus frog |
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| Microhyla achatina from Bogor, West Java | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Microhylidae |
| Genus: | Microhyla |
| Species: |
M. achatina
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| Binomial name | |
| Microhyla achatina Tschudi, 1838
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| Synonyms | |
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The Microhyla achatina, also known as the Javan chorus frog, is a small frog found only on the island of Java, Indonesia. It's also called the Java rice frog or Javanese narrow-mouthed frog. This special frog belongs to a family of frogs known for their narrow mouths.
What Does It Look Like?
The Javan chorus frog is quite small. It has a narrow head and tiny eyes. Its feet have toes that are partly webbed, which helps it move around.
Male frogs are usually about 2 cm long from their snout to their rear. Females are a little bit bigger than the males.
This frog is yellowish-brown on its back. It has two dark stripes and a cool arrow-shaped mark. Sometimes, you might see a thin, light line along its spine. The sides of its body are dark.
Where Does It Live?
This frog likes to live in both old and new forests. You can sometimes find it near places where people live, like in paddy fields (rice fields) or forest gardens.
The Javan chorus frog can live at different heights, from sea level up to about 1200 m high. It is only found in the central and western parts of Java, Indonesia. This means it's an endemic species, living only in that specific area.
Life Cycle and Sounds
The Javan chorus frog loves to eat tiny insects. Its diet mainly includes ants and termites, along with many other small bugs.
These frogs breed in ponds, permanent pools, or wet, marshy areas. At night, the male frogs start calling out. Several frogs often call together, creating a chorus. Their song sounds a lot like the sounds made by crickets.
The frog's call has a special sound frequency, between 3 and 3.2 kHz. It has 14 to 20 pulses per second and lasts for less than a second. Female frogs lay small groups of about 20 eggs at a time.
Is It Safe?
The Javan chorus frog lives in a fairly large area. Its population seems to be stable, meaning there are enough of them. Because of this, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed it as "Least Concern".
This means experts don't think the frog's population is dropping fast enough to be worried. The frog can even handle some changes to its forest home. No major threats to this species have been found so far.
Pictures
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In Darmaga, Bogor
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Male at his calling hole, a dried paddyfield in Kuningan
 | Claudette Colvin |
 | Myrlie Evers-Williams |
 | Alberta Odell Jones |
