After more than five decades, researchers have found a rare, elusive species of frog known as the “cave squeaker” in Zimbabwe, with four specimens of the unusual amphibian having been found in a mountainous area in the eastern part of the country, various media outlets have reported.
According to The Guardian, the Arthroleptis troglodytes, nicknamed the “cave squeaker” due to its preferred habitat, was originally discovered in 1962 but had not been spotted since then – that is, until researchers discovered the first of three males on December 3 of last year.
Robert Hopkins of the natural history museum in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and his colleagues were working in the Chimanimani region when they found the frog – or, to be more accurate, the other members of the team were working there when they made their discovery. Hopkins was not with them at the time, he explained to the New York Times.
“I was at the base. I can no longer climb the mountains as I am 75,” he noted. Nonetheless, the discovery is the culmination of his team’s eight-year search for the Arthroleptis troglodytes, and they now plan to breed more of the frogs and reintroduce them to the mountains of Zimbabwe.
Experts fear this might be bad news for the endangered species
A tiny creature that is light brown in color with dark spots, the Arthroleptis troglodytes is listed as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. While the discovery of the new specimens seems like it would be good news, officials at the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority are somewhat concerned.
Spokewoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo explained to The Guardian that interest in the frog from members of the scientific community may result in the frogs being caught and illegally exported to other countries. “We are expecting an influx of scientists looking for it,” she said. “We will do everything in our power to protect and conserve the frog,” including devising a plan to protect it from such threats.
According to the IUCN, the “cave squeaker” is listed as critically endangered because its extent of occurrence is just 20 square kilometers, it lives in just a single threat-defined location, and the extent and quality of its habitat is currently in decline. It was tagged as “possibly extinct” due to the length between sightings and the inability of 2010 surveys to find any specimens.
“This is a very poorly understood species,” the Zoological Society of London added. “Most of the cave squeaker specimens were collected in sinkholes or caves, and a few were found in open montane grassland… It is thought to be very rare and difficult to find, but very little is known about what factors may threaten its survival in the wild. As an isolated, montane species, it could be at risk from the effects of climate change.”
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Image credit: Francois Becker/AP
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