Spotting the rarely-seen white-lipped frog

I re-learned today, after reading of the failure by several researchers to find white-lipped frogs, Leptodactylus fragilis, how lucky I had been to see the species in Texas.

I had actually heard the two-syllabled calls of this little anuran on a dozen occasions, but had seen it only two or three times.

White-lipped frogs spend much of their time in burrows from one to several inches deep, or in other places of seclusion that are usually close to shallow depressions that fill quickly during rains. They vocalize and breed while in these burrows. The eggs are kept moist by frothy glandular secretions produced by the breeding frogs and if climatic conditions cooperate, seasonal rains flood the low-lying depressions and then free the tadpoles.

More photos under the jump...

White-lipped frogs are capable of climbing and occasionally do so: The white lip of this frog is not always starkly evident:

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.