Details
Leptodactylus fallax
The mountain chicken frog is a giant Caribbean frog once hunted for food, which gave it its unusual name. Disease and introduced predators have left it extremely rare in the wild.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It survives on Dominica and Montserrat in humid forest, valleys and streamside areas. Leaf litter, rocks and ground refuges are important shelter.
Adults reach 12-21 cm and about 500-1000 g. The stout brown to reddish body has darker blotches, powerful limbs and a very large mouth.
Nocturnal and ground-dwelling, it walks through litter in search of prey. When threatened, it may inflate the body and gape defensively.
Insects, spiders, centipedes, small frogs and lizards are taken. Large moving prey is swallowed with a rapid snap of the mouth.
Females build foam nests in burrows, where eggs and tadpoles develop. The mother feeds tadpoles with unfertilized eggs inside the nest.
Chytrid disease, introduced mammals, volcanic disturbance and habitat loss have driven the species to critical levels. Captive breeding and island conservation continue.
