Lake Junin Frog

The Lake Junin Frog is a totally aquatic frog, rarely ever leaving the water. As the name suggests, the frog is found in Lake Junin but it also lives in lakes around it. They have also been introduced to the upper parts of the Mantaro River. The Lake Junin Frog is also one of the largest frogs in the world, capable of reaching a foot long!

Sadly, it is listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Introduced trouts feast on the eggs and tadpoles of the frogs. Humans have heavily polluted the lakes they live in from agriculture, residential, and industrial waste. Humans also hunt and eat the frogs.

Frog populations were facing three main threats: pollution and water fluctuation caused by nearby mines, dams and human populations; illegal poaching for human consumption, as part of a traditional delicacy; and disease, particularly the infectious fungus, chytrid.