Parker's Andes frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parker's Andes frog |
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Phrynopus parkeri Lynch, 1975 |
The Parker's Andes frog (scientific name: Lynchius parkeri) is a type of frog that lives in the Andes Mountains. It belongs to the Strabomantidae family of frogs. You can find this special frog in northern Peru and southern Ecuador, including places like Yacurí National Park. It was named parkeri to honor Hampton Wildman Parker, an English scientist who studied animals, especially reptiles and amphibians.
What Does It Look Like?
Male Parker's Andes frogs are usually about 21 to 28 millimeters long. This is about the length of a small paperclip. Female frogs are a bit bigger, measuring about 25 to 35 millimeters long. Their head is usually as wide as it is long, or just a little longer. The front part of their face, called the snout, is rounded.
This frog has an "eardrum" (called a tympanum) that is hard to see. Its fingers and toes have slightly rounded tips, and it does not have any webbing between them. The back of the frog (its dorsum) can be gray, reddish, grayish brown, or dark brown. The sides of its body are dark brown with shiny green spots. The belly is usually dark gray to black. Male frogs have large yellow patches on their bellies, while females have yellow bellies with brown patterns.
Where It Lives and How It's Protected
The Parker's Andes frog lives in humid montane forests and páramo areas. These are cool, moist mountain environments. You can find them at high elevations, from about 2,700 to 3,397 meters above sea level. That's like living on top of a very tall mountain!
These frogs like to hide under rocks, in tall grasses, or in low plants. Unlike many frogs, their babies do not hatch as tadpoles that swim in water. Instead, they develop directly into tiny frogs without a free-swimming larval stage. This is called "direct development."
The Parker's Andes frog is not a very common species. It is considered endangered because its home is being lost. This happens when people clear land for farming. Luckily, some of these frogs live in protected areas, like the Yacurí National Park in Ecuador. This park helps keep their habitat safe.
See also
In Spanish: Lynchius parkeri para niños
