Scientists track down rare 'leopard-print' frog, find its tadpoles: Report

Argentinian scientists have tracked down a "leopard-print" frog to learn how it reproduces. According to a report by BBC last Saturday (July 1), scientists are fighting to protect the Santa Fe frog. The frog is under threat as its habitat the Dry Chaco is cut down. The Dry Chaco is a large expanse of forest and dusty plains straddling parts of Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay. The forest has one of the deforestation rates on the planet

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The BBC report said that the scientists discovered the frog in caves, emerging only to call for a mate.

"It's not been an easy journey so far, but we're determined to do what we can to secure the future for this wonderful amphibian," Isis Ibañez, who leads the Santa Fe frog project, told the network.

Santa Fe frog largely unknown to science

The Santa Fe frog, largely unknown to science, is found only in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. The scientists set up camera traps to locate the brightly-coloured frogs and study their behaviour.

Most frogs attract a mate by calling loudly from a pond, stream or swamp. The scientists found the male frogs emerge at nightfall and then hop back down their burrows with interested females.

Eggs, tadpoles found

After digging for hours, the scientists found eggs and tadpoles of the Santa Fe frog for the first time. "This species is a clear example of why we have to defend the forest in the Dry Chaco," Camila Deutsch, one of the scientists said.

The scientists are also liaising with local community leaders, hunters, and, farmers to learn more about the frog and how to better protect the frogs, the report further said.

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