The dancing frogs are the most threatened amphibian genus of India, according to the Wildlife Trust of India. They are endemic to the Western Ghats.
- The organisation made the analysis based on the second edition of the Global Amphibian Assessment released recently.
- Of the 24 species of the frogs belonging to the Micrixalus genus that were assessed, two were found to be critically endangered and 15 were endangered.
- This makes them the most threatened of all Indo-Malayan genera.
- It is also the fifth most threatened genus in the world with 92 per cent of its species in the threatened category.
- The dancing frogs that are found near the streams do a unique display to mate. The males stretch up their hind legs one at a time and wave their webbed toes in the air in a rapid motion akin to a dance. This is to attract mates as well as ward off competition, probably preferred because their mating calls are drowned out by the gurgling of the streams.
- This act is called “foot flagging” and gives the species their name.
