Large running frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Large running frog |
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Hylambates cassinoides Boulenger, 1903 |
The Kassina cassinoides, also known as the large running frog or silver running frog, is a type of frog. It belongs to a family of frogs called Hyperoliidae. You can find this frog in Cameroon and in many countries across West Africa.
These countries include Senegal, the Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Scientists think it might also live in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Nigeria, and Mauritania.
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What Does the Large Running Frog Look Like?
The Large Running Frog is a big frog for its group, the Kassina genus. It measures about 42 to 46 millimeters long from its snout to its bottom. That's about the length of four small paper clips!
Its back is silver-gray to yellow. It has six stripes running along its body. Two of these stripes are very close together, sometimes even joining up. Its toes have a little bit of webbing, and they have small sticky pads. Its fingers, however, do not have any webbing. It can be tricky to tell this frog apart from its cousin, the Kassina senegalensis.
Sounds and Tadpoles
Male Large Running Frogs make special calls to attract mates. These calls are similar to other Kassina frogs. But this frog's call is deeper and sounds richer than its relatives, like Kassina senegalensis and K. fusca. It actually has the lowest-pitched call of all frogs in its group!
The baby frogs, called tadpoles, are thin and long. When they first hatch, they are about 8.5 to 9 millimeters long. By the time they change into frogs, they can be about 55 millimeters long.
Where Does the Large Running Frog Live?
The Large Running Frog lives in dry, wooded savannas. It also lives in forests found along rivers, called gallery forests. These frogs are active at night, which means they are nocturnal.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
These frogs breed during the rainy season. They lay their eggs in temporary pools of water. They prefer large pools that have lots of plants growing in them. Male frogs will call out from the ground or from higher spots in the plants to find a mate.
Conservation Status
It can be hard to find the Large Running Frog, so it might be more common than we think. It is quite common in the Comoé National Park in Ivory Coast. The number of these frogs might change a lot from year to year.
Scientists believe this frog can adapt well to different environments. This means it is not currently facing big threats to its survival.
