Stefania evansi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stefania evansi |
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Hyla evansi Boulenger, 1904 |
The Groete Creek carrying frog, also known as Stefania evansi, is a special type of frog. It belongs to the Hemiphractidae family. This frog is famous for how its mothers raise their young. Female Stefania evansi frogs carry their eggs and baby frogs on their backs!
This frog has a few common names. People sometimes call it the Groete Creek carrying frog or Evans' stefania. The name "Groete Creek" comes from the place where it was first found. This place is Groete Creek in Guyana, where a scientist named Dr. R. Evans collected the first one.
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Where Does the Groete Creek Frog Live?
The Groete Creek carrying frog lives only in Guyana, a country in South America. You can find it in the low-lying forests of west-central Guyana. It usually lives in areas below 900 meters (about 2,950 feet) in height.
Scientists believe that frogs found at higher places might be a different species. This frog prefers places where humans have not changed the environment much. Because of this, it is not currently considered an endangered animal. Its conservation status is "Data Deficient" (DD), meaning there isn't enough information to know its exact risk.
What Does the Groete Creek Frog Look Like?
The Groete Creek carrying frog is one of the biggest frogs in its group. Male frogs can grow up to 53 millimeters (about 2.1 inches) long. Female frogs are even bigger, reaching up to 98 millimeters (about 3.9 inches) in length.
These frogs can have different colors. Some are plain, meaning they have one solid color. Others have stripes on their bodies. Interestingly, a single group of baby frogs can have both plain and striped individuals.
How Do Groete Creek Frogs Reproduce?
The way Stefania evansi frogs reproduce is quite unique. Female frogs carry their eggs on their backs. The baby frogs, called froglets, develop fully right there on their mother's back.
The eggs and tiny froglets are not covered. Instead, they stick to a special layer of mucus on the mother's skin. The number of eggs a mother carries can change. Scientists have seen mothers carrying between 11 and 30 eggs. Bigger mothers tend to carry more eggs.
The eggs are about 8 to 9 millimeters (about 0.3 inches) wide. They hatch directly into small froglets. This means they do not have a free-swimming tadpole stage in water. The froglets stay on their mother's back until they are about 19 millimeters (about 0.75 inches) long. Sometimes, smaller froglets might leave their mother earlier.
Scientists think the young frogs leave their mother when they have used up all the food stored in their bodies. They also leave when their gills, which they used for breathing, are fully gone. If a mother frog feels stressed, like when she is handled, her babies might leave her back sooner than usual.
We do not know exactly how long it takes for the eggs to develop and for the mother to carry them. However, scientists guess it might take about 2 to 3 months. These frogs seem to breed more often during the rainy season, but they can also breed at other times of the year.
Images for kids
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A Groete Creek carrying frog, Stefania evansi.
