Hochstetter’s Frog ( Leiopelma hochstetteri )
Hochstetter’s Frog - Hochstetter’s Frog information - Hochstetter’s Frog facts
Leiopelma hochsteteri is one of three native amphibians found and still present in New Zealand. Some species can be found in the North America too. The Hochstetter’s frog gets its name after an Austrian naturalist who in 1858 visited New Zealand and described these strange and from the evolution point of view very old frogs.
They are dark brown-coloured with rough skin, about 4.5 cm long and weight approximately 8g. They do have tail-wagging muscles despite no tail is visible. This also indicates that tails were evolutionary developed later on.
His natural habitat includes damp forests and cold streams with the temperature of about 4°C. His development cycle is very remarkable. It begins with an egg, consequently tadpole metamorphosis takes place in the egg too and egg-remains altogether with tiny insects are part of his diet. When mature he feeds with insects, crustacea and spiders. All in all the Hochstetter’s frog is a unique old amphibian which truly deserves to be a protected one.
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