Ever heard of a rice frog? Meet Karunaratne's narrow-mouthed frog. This group of frogs got their name from their habit of laying eggs in shallow pools, made from activities like rice farming. Because the puddles don’t last a long time, rice frogs turn from tadpoles into frogs in only a few weeks.
They live in shaded areas of tropical moist forests and love wet leaves. You can find them in Sinharaja usually in tangled roots and grass stems surrounding small water pools.
Karunaratne’s story is similar to many of Sri Lanka’s amphibians. It is a Critically Endangered and rare species. One of their biggest threats is poisoning from pollution by chemicals used in farming. They also suffer from habitat loss, when the forests they live in are cut down. But amazingly, these little critters have taken advantage of areas that have been deforested to find new homes, nesting in gem pits made through illegal mining activities.
What can you do to help save Sri Lanka’s amphibians?
1.Look after your environment
Frogs are very sensitive to pollution and chemicals. Help protect their homes by looking after your local environment, recycling, using less plastic and polythene, properly disposing of rubbish and cleaning areas frogs live in.
2.Start an amphibian group
Find out more about the frogs in your area and how you can help conserve them. Learn how to identify them by how they look and by their calls. Raise awareness in your community about how to protect them. Why not design a poster, write an article for your school paper or have a frog day at school?
3.Celebrate Save The Frogs Day. Get involved at www.savethefrogs.com/day
Illustration by Asia Hewatathirana
Nice illustration, needs white highlights to really bring it to life - good work of an unusual anuran. Ted
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