Leptodactylus spixi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leptodactylus spixi |
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The Leptodactylus spixi, also known as Spix's white-lipped frog, is a type of frog that belongs to the family Leptodactylidae. This special frog is found only in eastern Brazil. It lives in the beautiful Atlantic Forest areas of the Bahia, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro states.
The frog's scientific name, spixi, was chosen to honor Johann Baptist von Spix. He was a German scientist who studied nature in Brazil a long time ago. Before it got its official name, people sometimes confused this frog with another similar species called Leptodactylus mystaceus.
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What Does Spix's Frog Look Like?
These frogs are not very big. Adult male frogs are usually about 39 to 47 millimeters (about 1.5 to 1.8 inches) long. Female frogs are a bit larger, measuring about 39 to 49 millimeters (about 1.5 to 1.9 inches) long. Both males and females are similar in size.
Body Features
- Snout: The front part of their head, or snout, looks like a rounded oval when you look from above. From the side, it's rounded with a small ridge sticking out.
- Ears: They have a large and clear eardrum, called a tympanum, on the side of their head. There's also a fold of skin above it.
- Skin: The skin on their back is smooth. They have two clear folds of skin, called dorsolateral folds, that run from behind their eyes all the way to their back legs.
Colors and Patterns
Spix's white-lipped frogs usually have a light brown background color with irregular darker brown markings.
- You might see a triangle shape between their eyes that points backward.
- They can also have V-shaped patterns on their shoulders.
- The folds of skin on their back might be slightly darker brown.
- A dark stripe runs from their nose to their eardrum, but it's broken by their eye.
- A bright, light stripe goes from the tip of their snout, under their eye and eardrum, all the way to the corner of their jaw.
- Their upper lip has a slightly darker shade below this light stripe.
- Their legs have dark bars or stripes.
- The belly of the frog is usually plain and clean, without any markings.
- Sometimes, a frog might not have any markings at all, or it might have a light stripe down the middle of its back.
Male Frogs
Male Spix's frogs have a small fold of skin on the side of their throat. This is part of their vocal system, but they don't have a large, balloon-like vocal sac that many other frogs have for calling.
Where Does Spix's Frog Live and Is It Safe?
The Leptodactylus spixi lives in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. This forest is a very important habitat for many animals.
When scientists last checked, this frog was thought to be very common. Because of this, it was listed as "least concern" by the IUCN. This means they were not worried about it becoming endangered. However, it's important to know that this information was based on a wider idea of where the species lived. Scientists now think its range might be smaller than previously thought. This means we need to keep watching and studying these frogs to make sure they stay safe in their natural home.
