Fun Ecnomiohyla Rabborum Facts For Kids

Ecnomiohyla rabborum is a large frog that was found in central Panama. The frog is commonly known with the name Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frog named after the famous conversationalists George and Mary Rabb.

The Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frog species was discovered in 2005 after the outbreak of the epidemic in the native range. Many individuals were rescued from their native lands and transported to Zoo Atlanta Botanical Garden for their conservation.

However, their efforts to repopulate the species failed and the frogs have now become extinct.

They were spotted extremely rarely in the field surveys across their range. Few males were heard to call each other in the night in their native localities.

However, after the spread of the chytrid fungus in their region, the population of the species began to fall rapidly. It was assumed that most of the species died in the wild since not a single individual was encountered in the field surveys.

These frogs generally bred in tree holes filled with water. The adult male frogs were extremely territorial in nature, they protected their breeding holes aggressively from other individuals. Although the advertising calls could be heard throughout the year, it becomes more intense two to three days before or after the full moon on summer nights.

To know more about the frogs, keep on reading these facts. For more relatable content, check out these pool frog facts and poison dart frog facts for kids.

Ecnomiohyla Rabborum Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Ecnomiohyla rabborum?

The Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog is a type of large frog that has become extinct recently.

What class of animal does an Ecnomiohyla rabborum belong to?

Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog of Anura order and Hylidae family belong to the class Amphibia, the common class for all amphibians.

How many Ecnomiohyla rabborums are there in the world?

The Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog species were already following a decreasing population trend when they were discovered in the wild. Some Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frogs were transported to the Atlanta Botanical Garden from the forest canopies of Central Panama for the purpose of captive breeding.

However, all the efforts for re-populating the species failed miserably, and gradually they went extinct even from captivity. The last known Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frog specimen, Toughie died in September 2016 in Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Where does an Ecnomiohyla rabborum live?

The Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frogs were restricted to the town El Valle de Anton in the Cocle and Panama provinces of Central Panama. These frogs predominantly occupied the mountain slopes facing the Pacific ocean throughout their range in Panama. Some populations were also found along the Atlantic slope near Altos de Maria.

What is an Ecnomiohyla rabborum's habitat?

The most preferred habitat of the species of Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog is forest canopies. Most of the species inhabited the primary forests while some were also found residing along the edges in secondary growths.

They mainly populate moist and humid tropical forests present on the lower slopes of mountains. This species is nocturnal in nature and usually breeds and forages at night. During the day, males remain in their tree hole along with the juveniles.

Who do Ecnomiohyla rabborums live with?

The adult Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrogs are solitary animals, they live alone by themselves and are found in pairs only for breeding purposes. The female leaves the male as soon as reproduction gets over. In their juvenile stage, several tadpoles live together in the tree hole. Males live with the tadpoles until they mature.

How long does an Ecnomiohyla rabborum live?

The lifespan of the Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog has not been determined correctly because of the rapid extinction of the species. However, the last known individual of this species, Toughie, was believed to live for at least 12 years of age.

Since Toughie was brought as an adult and its age was unknown, the exact lifespan of the frog species could not be determined.

How do they reproduce?

The Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog did not have any specific breeding season, breeding occurred throughout the year reaching a peak between mid-March to May. The adult male produced an owl-like mating call at night which is believed to be a warm-up call or advertising call.

The warm-up call lasted for a small interval of one to two minutes fading away gradually. It is assumed that the mating calls of the males were used for attracting females towards them as well as to warn the competing males near their vicinity.

A single male bred with multiple partners and all of them laid eggs in the same tree hole.

Each water-filled tree hole contained around 60-200 eggs from which the large tadpoles emerged after they hatch. Females left the tree holes after mating, and males protected and guarded the eggs against external threats.

What is their conservation status?

The species of Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog is classified as a Critically Endangered species in the IUCN Red List. The frogs were listed as Endangered before their extinction because of their extremely limited and small range in Central Panama as well as a very small population.

They were rarely encountered in the wild.

Additionally, the spread of a deadly epidemic fungus followed by loss of suitable habitat of the Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog impacted the population decline of adult individuals. Urban development and destroying forests for growing plantations replaced their natural habitats.

Ecnomiohyla Rabborum Fun Facts

What do Ecnomiohyla rabborums look like?

The Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog was a large frog species found in the central parts of Panama. They had an elongated snout and a wide head.

The head was actually broader than their whole body. They have enormous and fully webbed hands and feet that help them to glide long distances in the air.

The arms are relatively small in comparison to the large hands and huge heads of the frog. Their arms had a small fringed skin extending from the elbows up to the fourth digit of their webbed hands.

The hind legs are larger and more slender than the arms and they end in large webbed feet. A fringed skin like that of the arms is also present in the hind limbs of the frog extending from the heels up to the base of each foot.

The frog is predominantly covered by mottled brown skin on the upper parts. The rear part of the arms and the legs are pale yellow while the underside of the frog's body is primarily white with specks of brown spots.

How cute are they?

They were dull-colored frogs, which might not attract human beings towards them.

How do they communicate?

The communication is mainly vocal. While crossing their range many researchers could hear the Ecnomiohyla rabborum calling at night.

How big is a Ecnomiohyla rabborum?

The snout to vent length of a Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog ranges between 2.4-3.9 in (61-100 mm). They are similar in size to the common frogs.

How fast can an Ecnomiohyla rabborum move?

The speed of the frog is unknown however, they can cover a distance of 30 ft (9.1 m) in one jump. The frogs can cover long distances by leaping and gliding through the air with fully stretched webbed hands and feet.

How much does an Ecnomiohyla rabborum weigh?

The weight of the frog species is unknown since the researchers tried to touch Toughie as little as they could.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no specific name for a male and female frog. Both species are called Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frogs.

What would you call a baby Ecnomiohyla rabborum?

A baby of a frog is called a tadpole.

What do they eat?

The diet of Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frog included a variety of insects including crickets and cockroaches.

Are they poisonous?

No, they are not poisonous, unlike the poison frog.

Would they make a good pet?

No, they did not make good pets, and breeding them in captivity was almost impossible.

Did you know...

The Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog tadpoles take direct nutrition from the male frogs' skin. Males remain submerged in the water-filled tree holes until night. During this time, tadpoles swim around males eating microscopic pieces of their skin.

Why did they go extinct?

The Rabbs' fringe limbed treefrog was a large frog that lived in the forest and canopy of Central Panama. It is officially regarded as a Critically Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, however in reality the decline of the amphibian species made the Ecnomiohyla rabborum extinct.

The species died in the wild due to the spread of the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) epidemic in their native range.

Several conservation methods and captive breeding programs were incorporated to repopulate the frogs but all of them failed. These tree frog species were already considered to be extinct before they actually became extinct.

This is because the last two specimens of this species were males. The last known female frog of this species died in 2009 and since then, Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frog tadpoles have not been born.

The last Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frog named Toughie died in Atlanta Botanical Garden in September 2016.

It was one of the many Rabbs' fringed limbed tree frogs that was conserved in the Zoo Atlanta Botanical Garden after the deadly amphibian virus outbreak in their native range. With the death of the last specimen in the Zoo Atlanta Botanical Garden in 2016, the species became completely extinct.

Naming the Ecnomiohyla rabborum

Ecnomiohyla rabborum, commonly known as the Rabbs' fringe limbed tree frog was a species of large frog native to the Panama region. These frogs were named after the famous conversationalists George and Mary Rabb.

Apart from that, the presence of fringed skins along the arms and the hind limbs instead of frog-like folds on the wrists and ankle coined the name fringe limbed tree frog. These frogs were extremely territorial and preferred to line in the hollows or holes carved on trees.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these olm interesting facts and bullfrog surprising facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable frog mandala coloring pages.