Creature Awaits #196
Each week I plan to feature an amazing creature, admiring God's fantastic artistry. Hopefully it’ll brighten someone’s day to see something new and interesting if they haven’t seen it before. : )
(Beautiful still taken by the photographers at the Australian Alps National Parks (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (upscaled to fit format)))
The Corroboree Frogs
Scientific Name: Pseudophryne pengilleyi (The Northern Corroboree Frog) and Pseudophryne corroboree (The Southern Corroboree Frog)
Region: Two very tiny, high altitude ranges in southeastern Australia
Size: Only about 1"-1 1/6" (~2.5cm-3cm) long
Interesting Notes: Interestingly, unlike most other known toxic frogs, this species creates its own poisonous alkaloid, called pseudo-phrynamine, entirely within its own body's chemistry as opposed to ingesting toxins from plants, etc. Though they are considered critically endangered, due primarily to habitat loss via bushfire and fungal infection by Chytrids, thankfully, conservation efforts are underway to preserve these two beautiful species.
