#rhinoderma

Darwin's Frog: Saving An Endangered Frog from Extinction

Our break-through study together with Chilean NGO Ranita de Darwin has unlocked insights that could help halt the global amphibian apocalypse caused by chytrid fungus. The new study brings together field data collected over the course of a decade from almost 1,500 frogs, and is the first time that outbreak patterns of the disease have been documented in a species that spends its entire life on land. The fungus was previously understood to spread only through water, but the findings reveal that extremely local contact between frogs allows it to spread on land. This new knowledge provides vital insights for conservationists working across the globe to address the threat of the chytrid fungus. We rescued some of the last remaining Southern Darwin's frogs from extinction in 2024, bringing them to safety at London Zoo after alarming 90% declines were recorded. Since the frog's arrival over 30 rice-grain sized froglets have already been born at the Zoo, and by working closely with them we are continuing to advance understanding of their species.

Southern Darwin’s Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii), males with froglets, family Rhinodermatidae, found in the Valdivian Temperate Rain Forest of Chile and Argentina

ENDANGERED.

Famous for its child rearing technique. The male holds both the eggs and tadpoles in his vocal sac. The froglets emerge from the male’s mouth after metamorphosing.

Endangered due to habitat destruction.

photograph by Claudio Azat

Darwin’s Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii), males, family Rhinodermatidae, found in the Valdivian Temperate Rain Forest of Chile and Argentina

ENDANGERED.

Famous for its child rearing technique. The male holds both the eggs and tadpoles in his vocal sac. The froglets emerge from the male’s mouth after metamorphosing.

Endangered due to habitat destruction and chytrid fungus.

GOOD NEWS: Darwin's Frog

Good news! For the first time in the history of Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, located in the Los Lagos region of southern Chile, a population of Darwin’s frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) has been found. This species is endemic to the temperate forests of Chile and Argentina. A total of 68 specimens were found thanks to coordinated work between Chile and Argentina involving the Ranita de Darwin ONG organization and park rangers from Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park and Nahuel Huapi National Park in Argentina. This important amphibian is an endangered species, threatened by habitat loss and a serious disease affecting amphibians called chytridiomycosis. This new discovery makes it one of the largest known populations of this species today.

Darwin’s Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii), males with froglets, family Rhinodermatidae, found in the Valdivian Temperate Rain Forest of Chile and Argentina

ENDANGERED.

Famous for its child rearing technique. The male holds both the eggs and tadpoles in his vocal sac. The froglets emerge from the male's mouth after metamorphosing.

Endangered due to habitat destruction.

Embriones de ranita de Darwin (Rhinoderma darwinii) desarrollándose dentro de huevos. Estas posturas son depositadas por las hembras bajo densas capas de húmeda vegetación. Luego de 19 a 25 días el macho ingiere estos huevos (abajo) para alojarlos en su saco bucal (la misma estructura utilizada para el canto). En este lugar las crías se desarrollaran, alimentándose de un fluido secretado por el macho, hasta alcanzar la metamorfosis y ser expulsadas como pequeñas ranitas al medio ambiente.  Este tipo de cuidado parental es único entre las miles de especies de anfibios que habitan el mundo.

Fotografías provenientes desde una población del sur de la isla grande de Chiloé.