People of the UK now have a rare chance to see this spectacular species of frog on display at a zoo for the first time ever. It’s such an unfortunately rude name for a frog.
Upon first glance, you may think these frogs are nothing to shout about and not worth taking a trip for. Let’s be honest you can find frogs hanging around a garden pond if you look hard enough.
These, however, have a certain kind of special look about them.
They have been nicknamed after ballsacks, as that’s apparently what they look like.
We can’t stress enough this isn’t what we’ve decided to call them but a well known global nickname.
These ‘scrotum frogs’ are officially called Lake Titicaca frogs but received their very, unfortunate nickname because of their saggy folds of excess skin which is used to absorb oxygen from water at the bottom of lakes where they can be found on the border of Peru and Bolivia.
To most, they won’t sound particularly tasty on the palette but locally these frogs are in demand to be eaten in smoothies and are believed to give people more energy.
They might not be the zoo’s main attraction but next time you visit Chester Zoo you’ll be able to find 20 of these ballsack frogs on display.
Chester Zoo was Europes first to give a home to the listed endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
They’re now been studied by conservationists who hope to gain a greater understanding of the frogs in an effort to protect them.
Dr Gerardo Garcia, curator of lower invertebrates and vertebrates shared:
‘What we need to do now is to build on our knowledge of the species and its biology – by learning all about their life cycle, mating behaviours, favoured habitat and ability to tolerate or resist a deadly fungus that is wiping out lots of amphibians, called chytrid.
‘We can then harness that valuable information for conservation action in the wild.’
He also said people in Peru and Bolivia would capture and kill the frogs despite it being illegal and put them in smoothies as it’s thought to increase energy and virility.
‘The planet is facing its biggest ever biodiversity extinction, with thousands of amphibian species at risk of being lost forever’
‘Human activity is very much part of the problem, but we won’t sit back and let them become extinct because we’re also key to the solutions and will play a vital role in reversing the damage.’
How do you feel about this frog with a rude name?
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