Amphibian · GBIF taxon 2424603
Southern Gastric Brooding Frog
Rheobatrachus silusAlso known as Platypus Frog
Southern gastric-brooding frogs were renowned for an extraordinary reproductive strategy unique to their genus: females ingested fertilized eggs and incubated developing young inside their stomachs. Prostaglandins secreted by the eggs and tadpoles halted gastric acid production, effectively transforming the stomach into a functional uterus until fully formed froglets were regurgitated into the wild. Inhabiting cool, pristine montane rainforest streams in southeastern Queensland, these fully aquatic amphibians disappeared rapidly in the late 1970s and are now presumed extinct.
AquaticAmphibian
Licensed reference(c)
Benjamin Healley, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Caddisfly larvae
- Beetles
- Dragonfly nymphs
Predators
- Freshwater eels
- Water pythons
- Kookaburras
ThreatsChytridiomycosis (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), habitat disturbance
HabitatsMontane subtropical rainforest streams and rock pools
Life spanEstimated 5–10 years
Classification
- FamilyMyobatrachidae
- SpeciesRheobatrachus silus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Harmless; now an extinct species.
Responsible observation
- Reporting Sightings: Promptly notify Australian wildlife authorities if any living specimen is ever suspected.
- Stream Biosecurity: Disinfect footwear and gear between mountain waterways to avoid spreading amphibian chytrid fungus.
Neighbor (c) Sundar Lakshmanan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Neighbor Froggydarb at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
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