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Raorchestes resplendens
A mega species! Critically Endangered. If somebody told me to find a needle in a haystack, it would be an easier task than to find this species. It is one of the rarest species of frogs in the world with its habitat restricted to a very few square kilometres on some peaks of Anaimudi. A very few individuals (~300) are known to survive in a (thankfully!) well-protected habitat. To put it in perspective this can be termed as a Great Indian Bustard of the frog world. One of the biggest threats this species face today is climate change. With the rising temperatures, species like these will be the first to go extinct. The actual size of this frog is that of a human thumbnail. I just cannot express how beautiful it is!
5 Comments
Thank you so much Rangers! This one is definitely special and I'm really happy to be sharing it here :)
What a cool spotting - congratulations and thanks for sharing this beautiful amphibian with us!!
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Gorgeous! Well done, Vipul, and thank you for sharing this special spotting.
Wonderful spotting, Vipul Ramanuj! Project Noah is featuring this rare, critically endangered species for UN World Wildlife Day today.