Blue-eyed bush frog (Philautus neelanethrus)

Cute Frog of the Week: June 25, 2012

This frog is ready to challenge you to a staring contest! The blue-eyed bush frog (Philautus neelanethrus), named after its colorful irises, also has a unique orange skin color. The blue-eyed bush frog is an endangered species found in southwest India. It lives in river basins or swamps, but does not depend on water to breed. However, due to recent dam construction and urbanization in the Western Ghats of India, the blue-eyed bush frog population has become fragmented and is decreasing. Scientists hope that these threats can be minimized so that populations of this species listed by the IUCN as endangered may one day recover.

Have you seen one? If so, send in your pic to the global amphibian bioblitz and claim the first observation!

Photo by Dr K V Gururaja via Arkive.

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/