Hensel's swamp frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hensel's swamp frog |
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Liuperus falcipes Hensel, 1867 |
Pseudopaludicola falcipes is a small frog also known as Hensel's swamp frog. It belongs to the Leptodactylidae family. You can find this frog in the Pampas region. This area covers northeastern Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.
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What Hensel's Swamp Frogs Look Like
Hensel's swamp frogs are quite small. Male frogs are usually about 13.5 to 16 millimeters long. Female frogs are a little bigger. They measure around 14.7 to 18.1 millimeters from their snout to their vent. These frogs can look very different from each other. Their back patterns and body shapes vary a lot.
Where Hensel's Swamp Frogs Live
Pseudopaludicola falcipes is a common frog species. You can find many of them in their habitat. They live in grasslands. They also live in areas where rice is grown. These frogs like to breed in temporary pools of water. They also use ditches for breeding. Hensel's swamp frogs can adapt well to places changed by humans. Because they live in many different places, they are not considered to be in danger.
How Hensel's Swamp Frogs Spread
Scientists have studied the genes of Pseudopaludicola falcipes. They found that these frogs have a lot of different genes. Even though they are small, the frogs across their wide home range are quite similar. This is a bit surprising for a small frog.
This might be because their habitat, the Pampean grasslands, is very similar everywhere. Also, there are many frogs in their populations. They can also spread easily through water. This is called hydrochory. It means water helps them move to new places.
Scientists believe there are two main groups of these frogs. One larger group lives in Argentina and Uruguay. A smaller group lives in Brazil. These two groups may have separated about one million years ago. Then, they came back into contact around 260,000 years ago. This allowed their genes to mix again.
See also
In Spanish: Pseudopaludicola falcipes para niños
- Pseudopaludicola restinga
