Nyctibatrachus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nyctibatrachus |
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| An unidentified Nyctibatrachus frog from Phanasad Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Nyctibatrachidae |
| Subfamily: | Nyctibatrachinae Blommers-Schlösser, 1995 |
| Genus: | Nyctibatrachus Boulenger, 1882 |
| Species | |
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Presently 28 to 35 |
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Nyctibatrachus are a special group of frogs. They are often called night frogs because their scientific name means "night frog." These tiny frogs live only in the Western Ghats of southwestern India.
They are quite common, but people often miss them. This is because they are extremely small. Some night frogs can even sit on a coin or a fingernail! However, they are not the smallest land vertebrate. That title belongs to another frog called Paedophryne.
Contents
Discovering Night Frogs
What are Night Frogs?
Night frogs are a genus of frogs. A genus is like a family group for animals that are closely related. There are about 28 to 35 different kinds, or species, of night frogs.
These frogs are special because they are endemic to the Western Ghats. This means they are found naturally only in this one specific area of the world. The Western Ghats is a mountain range in India.
Why Are They Called Night Frogs?
The common name for Nyctibatrachus is "night frogs." Their scientific name also means "night frog." This is because many of these frogs are most active at night.
They often make calls and move around when it is dark. This helps them find food and other frogs.
Their Tiny Size
Night frogs are known for being very small. Some species are among the smallest frogs in the world. Their tiny size helps them hide in the leaf litter on the forest floor.
Because they are so small, researchers sometimes overlooked them. It was hard to spot them among the plants and leaves. This is why scientists are still discovering new species of night frogs.
