📸 PhotoPhoto: Mono Andes · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Darwin's Frog
Rhinoderma darwinii (Darwin's Frog · ダーウィンハナガエル)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its body length of 3.5 cm is about 1.3 times the diameter of a Korean 500-won coin (26.5 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Its 'mouth brooding,' in which the male carries and raises tadpoles inside his vocal sac for about 6 weeks, is a very rare mode of parental care among frogs (ADW).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Darwin's Frog is a small frog living in temperate forests, famous for males brooding tadpoles inside their vocal sacs. It is listed as Endangered (EN, 2018 assessment) on the IUCN Red List.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has a triangular head with a long, pointed fleshy tip on the nose, and its body length is 2.5–3.5 cm. Its upper color changes from brown to bright green to match its surroundings, while its belly is more vividly patterned with large white blotches and smaller yellow and orange spots on a black background.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It preys on insects and other small arthropods. After the female lays eggs on moist ground, the male swallows the hatching tadpoles into his vocal sac, raises them there for about 6 weeks until metamorphosis is complete, and then releases them as miniature frogs.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List EN (2018) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19513/79809372
- • IUCN Red List category EN — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 78TQQ
- • iucnredlist.org — 79809372
- • wikidata.org — Q586567
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Rhinoderma darwinii.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Rhinoderma darwinii
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.