La Banderita marsupial frog facts for kids

Quick facts for kids La Banderita marsupial frog
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Hemiphractidae
Genus:	Gastrotheca
Species:	G. gracilis
Binomial name
Gastrotheca gracilis Laurent, 1969
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Gastrotheca gracilis, also known as the La Banderita marsupial frog, is a special type of frog that lives in parts of Argentina and possibly Bolivia. It's called a "marsupial frog" because of a unique way the mothers carry their babies!

Where This Frog Lives

This amazing frog makes its home in the mountains of northwestern Argentina. You can find it in the Southern Andean Yungas montane forests and also in the high Central Andean puna grasslands. These areas are in the Catamarca and Tucumán provinces.

The La Banderita marsupial frog lives at high elevations, from about 1,400 to 2,800 meters (that's about 4,600 to 9,200 feet) above sea level. Scientists know of only a few places where this frog lives. Sadly, it is considered an Endangered animal, mainly because its home is being lost.

Adult frogs like to live in tree tops, inside tree holes, and in cracks in rocks.

Life Cycle and Reproduction

The La Banderita marsupial frog has a very interesting way of having babies. When they breed, the male frog helps place the eggs into a special pouch on the female's back. This pouch is a bit like the pouch a kangaroo has, which is why they are called "marsupial frogs"!

The eggs stay safe inside this pouch on the mother's back. The baby frogs, called larvae, grow and develop right there in the pouch. Later, when they are ready, the female frog releases the larvae into temporary pools of water or small streams. There, the young frogs finish growing and change into adult frogs.

See also

In Spanish: Gastrotheca gracilis para niños