Photo credit: M.J. Largen
The Ethiopian Short-Headed Frog, Balebreviceps hillmani, is listed as ‘ENDANGERED’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. This poorly-known amphibian is endemic to the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia, where it has been recorded from just a single site, at an elevation of around 3,200 metres.
The narrow belt of giant heather woodland inhabited by the Ethiopian Short-Headed Frog is under threat by an increasing human population and their livestock. It is not known how damaging this disturbance is to the Ethiopian Short-Headed Frog, but future impacts might be disastrous for the species given its potentially very limited distribution. There is also the possibility that the logging of forests at lower elevations may be having indirect negative impacts on its habitat.
The Ethiopian Short-Headed Frog receives some protection within the Bale Mountains National Park, although this area has yet to be formally established. High priorities for the conservation of this small amphibian include the effective protection of its habitat, and further surveys to better understand its ecology, status, and the extent of its distribution.
Geographic Range of the Ethiopian Short-Headed Frog
Credit: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
To learn more about the Ethiopian Short-Headed Frog, click here. Or visit the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ by clicking their logo below.
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