The population of a critically endangered frog has risen, Taipei Zoo said yesterday, crediting a conservation project it carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency.
The Nidirana shyhhuangi (also known as the Yuchih music frog) species was initially thought to be a subspecies of Nidirana okinavana — also called the Kampira Falls frog, the Yaeyama harpist frog or the harpist brown frog, a species found on Japan’s Yaeyama Islands — but last year was confirmed to be a distinct species after a genetic analysis.
The limited habitat and small population of the Yuchih music frog means it faces a high risk of extinction from agricultural pollution, dumping, forest development, human interference and severe weather conditions, the zoo said as it marked Save the Frog Day yesterday.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
In the fall of 2022, the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute rescued tadpoles that had become trapped due to decreased water levels and implemented conservation measures, the zoo said.
In May of 2023, the ministry reached out to Taipei Zoo to collaborate on efforts to increase mating activity among the frogs that the zoo housed, in hopes of producing offspring to be released into the wild, it said.
Male Yuchih music frogs create an urn-shaped nest and sit in it while calling to female frogs in a mating ritual, the zoo said.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
It put damp, soft soil in its exhibit and set up sprinklers to ensure the soil remained sufficiently moist, it said, adding that it used coconut shells to hide the nests.
The Yuchih music frogs at the zoo have responded well to the measures, producing thousands of young frogs, it said, adding that it encourages the public to visit its Amphibian and Reptile House to see the frogs and hear their “unique” sounds.
The species was named after Chen Shyh-huang (陳世煌), who first discovered them in Nantou County in 1984.
The frog was listed as Nationally Critically Endangered in the 2024 Red List of Amphibians of Taiwan, because its habitat is limited, covering about 0.015km2 across the Lianhuachih (蓮華池) and Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) areas of Yuchih Township (魚池).
At the time, there were estimated to be only 300 to 700 of the frogs in the wild.
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