‘Magical’ galaxy frogs disappear after reports of photographers destroying their habitats | Amphibians
A group of endangered “galaxy frogs” are presumed dead after trespassing photographers destroyed their microhabitat to take pictures.
Melanobatrachus indicusThis species, each about the size of a fingertip, is the only species in its family and lives under logs in the lush rainforests of Kerala, India. According to Rajkumar KP, a researcher and member of the Zoological Society of London, the miraculous spots are not a sign of poison, as people sometimes assume, but are thought to be used as a mode of communication.
He found seven members of the “magic” species in early 2020. Western Ghats rainforest They are in India but I could not visit them during the Covid outbreak. When he returned later, the frogs had disappeared, according to a report from ZSL.
“The big, beautiful, fallen log that was there was completely broken and misplaced,” Rajkumar said. Vegetation was also crushed and the frogs whose homes were destroyed were nowhere to be found.
At first he suspected brown mongooses were causing the damage, but they aren’t strong enough to knock over a log. He then asked his follower if he had seen anyone.
“He said a few photographers had visited that area. A few small groups. Then I contacted other viewers and they started telling me everything that was going on.”
According to viewers, these nature photographers were flipping through logs looking for endangered species. When they found them, they would catch the frogs and prop them up for photos. But although these delicate creatures breathed through their skin and were incredibly sensitive, they did not wear gloves.
One of the followers told Rajkumar that two little galaxy frogs had died after being held by photographers for too long.
“He said they would take the animal to a nice backdrop or a mossy log to take pictures, moving it from one place to another to get better pictures. They took five or six frogs that day, and two of them died.”
Searching the area repeatedly over the following months, Rajkumar found no more galaxy frogs. He felt “helpless” in the face of injustice.
“Forest department officials are trying to stop such groups from coming. But they are using senior officials – politicians, high court judges etc – to allow them to take photographs,” he said.
“After seeing these frogs, I fell in love with them. You feel like their color is pitch black, but when you hold them up to the light, you can see all the stars like galaxies in their bodies. It’s truly magical.”
Dr Benjamin Tapley, ZSL’s curator of reptiles and amphibians, said galaxy frogs were probably an “old”, “irreplaceable” branch of the tree of life.
“I wince every time I see a photo pop up in my galaxy frog feed,” Tapley said. “I’m just wondering what happened. How was this filmed? How was the habitat affected?”
“We’re really hopeful that we can encourage people to act more ethically so that incredible species like the galaxy frog can continue to thrive for millions more.”
