Darwin's Frog

Darwin's Frog, also called the southern Darwin's frog, is a rhinodermatid frog native to the forest streams of Chile and Argentina. It was first described by the French zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril and his assistant Gabriel Bibron in 1841, and is named after Charles Darwin, who had previously discovered it in Chile during his world voyage on HMS Beagle. The most striking feature of this frog is the tadpoles' development inside the vocal sac of the male.

Darwin’s Frogs are carnivores, eating small insects, snails, worms, and spiders. Both humans and fungus are to blame for the frogs’ decline toward extinction. These tiny frogs only grow up to 1.4 inches in length. Despite being small, Darwin’s frogs travel at speeds of up to five miles per hour. Darwin’s frog is unique among amphibians for its brooding habits. Males pick up eggs about to hatch and carry the developing young about in their distensible vocal pouch until they are able to fend for themselves.