By Jay D. King, DVM, and Paul Reillo, Ph.D.
On two small islands in the Caribbean are the last remaining mountain chicken frogs (Leptodactylus fallax). They used to be widely distributed across eight windward and leeward islands. Famous for a melodious “whoop-whoop” song and plump physique, this frog used to be a reliable food source for local people, but now it is critically endangered.
How did the species get to this point? Its recent past and its prospects for the future can be largely explained by biogeography, an unusual life history and its many threats in the wild.
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