The mountain chicken, despite its misleading name, is not a bird but one of the largest frogs in the world, native to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. Its common name, “mountain chicken,” humorously stems from its traditional role in local cuisine, where it is considered a delicacy much like chicken.

Physically, the mountain chicken boasts a hefty, well-muscled build with a mottled brown and black skin that helps it blend into the dense, moist forest floors it inhabits. This camouflage is crucial for its survival, both for hiding from predators and for ambushing prey. The frog’s diet is surprisingly varied: it preys on insects, smaller frogs, and even small mammals and birds, using its powerful legs to leap out and seize them with its large mouth.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the mountain chicken’s life is its reproductive behavior. Uniquely among frogs, mountain chickens do not lay their eggs in water. Instead, females lay up to 50 eggs in a deep burrow dug into moist soil. The mother then guards this burrow vigilantly until the eggs hatch. In an extraordinary twist of parental care, the tadpoles feed on a special kind of liquid secreted by the walls of the burrow, which is produced by the mother. This adaptation allows the tadpoles to develop entirely within the safety of the burrow, away from aquatic predators.

However, the mountain chicken is critically endangered, with its numbers drastically reduced in recent years due to a combination of habitat loss, hunting, and a deadly fungal disease known as chytridiomycosis. This disease has devastated amphibian populations worldwide and poses a significant threat to the survival of the mountain chicken. Conservation efforts are ongoing, including captive breeding programs and research into disease resistance, to try and save this remarkable amphibian from extinction.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Dominica

2017

Guadeloupe

Official estimate

EX

Extinct locally

Martinique

Official estimate

EX

Extinct locally in 2019

Montserrat

2017

St. Kitts & Nevis

Official estimate

EX

Extinct locally