Species Fact Profile: Mountain Chicken (Leptodactylus fallax)

                                              Mountain Chicken (Giant Ditch Frog)                          

                                                Leptodactylus fallax (Muller, 1926)

Range: Dominica and Montserrat.  Historically found in other Lesser Antillean Islands

Habitat: Secondary Forest, Scrub, Riverine Forest.  Found up to 430 meters elevation  

Diet: Arthropods (Insects, Millipedes, Tarantulas), Small Vertebrates (Snakes, Bats, Rodents)

Social Grouping: Solitary

Reproduction: Breeding takes place from April through September.  Females release a fluid which males whip up into a foam nest, in which the female will lay both fertilized eggs as well as unfertilized eggs for the tadpoles to feed on. Female tends to the nest, leaving only to feed (male stands guard) until the 25-50 froglets emerge after 45 days.  Sexually mature at 3 years old

Lifespan: 12 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered

•       Largest species of frog in the Caribbean.  Up to 22 centimeters in length (more commonly 17-18 centimeters) and weighing up to 1 kilogram.  Females typically larger than males.  Males can also be distinguished by the black spurs on their thumbs
•       Upperparts are dark brown or green, sometimes uniform in color, sometimes with barring and spotting, with a black line running down from the mouth and barring on the legs.  The underside is a paler yellow-orange color.  Distinctive fold running down from the back of the head to the groin.
•       Terrestrial and nocturnal.  During the day, shelters in burrows dug into moist soil
•       Whereas most amphibians breed in water, mountain chickens breed in burrows, with males wrestling for access to preferred burrow sites, after which they call to attract females
•       Common name is in reference to its use as a food item by the local populace; it is said (of course) to taste like chicken.  Historically, its legs were the national dish of Dominica until hunting banned
•       There have been unsuccessful historical attempts to introduce this species to other islands in the Caribbean (Jamaica, Puerto Rico)
•       Decline originally driven by hunting for human consumption, later exacerbated by habitat loss, natural disaster, and predation from introduced species (dogs, cats, pigs, etc) as well as by the introduced chytrid fungus.  Species is possibly extinct on Montserrat.  Captive breeding and reintroduction efforts are in progress