Prelims: Environment (Species in News), Purple Frog
Mains: General Studies-III Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
Why in the News ?
The Purple Frog, which is believed to have co-existed with dinosaurs, has similarities to the Sooglossidae family of frogs in Seychelles. The Anamalai hills is one of its prime habitats in Tamil Nadu. For years, the amphibian has been drawing the attention of researchers, who are striving to solve the mysteries of its unique year-long subterranean life.
Source: TH
Key Facts 🗝️
Purple Frog: Conservation status
- IUCN: Endangered
- Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022: Schedule I
About:
Purple Frog
- It is also known as Maveli frog or Pignose Frog.
- It is believed to have co-existed with dinosaurs, has similarities to the Sooglossidae family of frogs in Seychelles.
- It is often called a ‘living fossil’ which belongs to the Nasikabatrachidae family.
- Appearance
- It has a bloated body with short stout limbs and is dark purple to greyish in colour.
- It has a small head in comparison to the body length, and an unusually pointed snout.
- Its short and muscular forelimbs with hard palms help it to burrow underground.
- Unlike other frogs, it has very short hind legs, which does not allow it to leap from one spot to another.
- Habitat: This burrow-dwelling frog prefers loose, damp and well-aerated soil close to ponds and ditches or streams.
- Distribution: It is the soil-dwelling frog endemic to selected habitats in the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- The Anamalai hill is one of its prime habitats in Tamil Nadu.
- Tamil Nadu is home to two types of Purple Frog: Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis and Nasikabatrachus bhupathi.
- It remains underground most of the year except for 2-3 weeks during the monsoon when it comes out to mate.
- Threats: Habitat loss, road networks through their habitats, and climate change are some of the major threats to their survival.
Living Fossil:
- Living Fossil is an organism that has remained unchanged from earlier geologic times and whose close relatives are usually extinct. Other than Coelacanth, Horseshoe crab and ginkgo trees are examples of living fossils.
- However, in their new study, palaeontologists have found that Coelacanths gained 62 new genes through encounters with other species 10 million years ago. This suggests that they are actually evolving, albeit slowly.
- The coelacanth (a fish) is the most famous and widely recognized species of “living fossil”.
