Species Fact Profile: Titicaca Water Frog (Telmatobius culeus)

Titicaca Water Frog

Telmatobius culeus (Garman, 1876)

Range: Lake Titicaca and Surrounding Waterways (Peru-Bolivia Border)
Habitat: Mountain Lakes and Rivers
Diet: Snails, Crustaceans, Tadpoles, Fish
Social Grouping: Solitary
Reproduction: Breed in the summer in shallow waters near the shore.  Males release sperm as females release eggs, about 500 eggs per season.  No parental care provided.  Juveniles spend their lives in shallower water, moving to the depths as they mature
Lifespan: 20 Years
Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered, CITES Appendix I

• World's largest purely aquatic frog, measuring up to 14 centimeters long, weigh 250 grams.  Females larger than males
• Males and females look alike.  Dorsal skin is a variable combination of green, grey, brown, or black, while the ventral surface is much paler
• Head is large and flat.  Hind legs are long and powerful; only the hind feet have webbing.  Skin hangs off the body in loose folds, giving the frog a baggy appearance.  These skin folds serve to increase oxygen absorption n the water (skin is also thinner than many other frogs)
• Entirely aquatic; spends almost all of its time at the bottom of the lake, which has a much more consistent temperature than the surface water.  The lungs are small and poorly developed; the frogs will only come to the surface to breathe if there is not enough oxygen in the water
• Camouflage is primary defense against predators, such as fish and waterbirds.  If handled, the frog secretes a sticky, foul-tasting substance
• Collected by local peoples for sale to restaurants (especially marketed to tourists), as well as to make a beverage which is considered an aphrodisiac by local peoples.  Their meat also has some traditional medicinal value (believed to cure tuberculosis)
• Habitat is threatened by climate change and pollution; increased predation and competition pressures from introduced fish species
• Sometimes kept as a display animal at Titicaca-area restaurants to attract tourists.  Has historically fared poorly in captivity, but captive-breeding programs in Bolivia and Peru have shown recent promise.  First breeding in North America at Denver Zoo in 2017