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Madhumay Mallik from the Wildlife Trust of India recounts their experience researching grass frogs, and details what is being done to ensure that these and other frog species continue to thrive despite increasing challenges.
Far away on the mountain peak were cotton clouds in restless sleep, tossing and turning. Before me, a lush pasture of smooth grass and wild flowers, blanketing a steep terrain and a narrow-hidden trail. We had started early in search of resplendence – and a tiny frog that calls this piece of heaven home.
“These are one of the most spectacular forests that one would find anywhere in the world”, exclaimed Dr. Hari as he led the trail along the Eravikulum National Park. Cushioned by clouds, the Shola forests – a patchwork of tree canopies and open grasslands – are a special ecosystem and are unique to a few mountains along India’s Western Ghats. “Cool and moist throughout the year, this is a microclimate that is distinctly demarcated by elevation and hosts some unique species that are specifically adapted to these mountain tops. This includes the resplendent grass frog that we hope to find today,” adds Dr. Hari.
A landscape in crisis
For the past two years, Dr. Harikrishnan S and his team at Wildlife Trust of India have been working to collect data on the endemic frogs of the region. The Amphibian Recovery Project started with an artificial pond in Munnar’s Windermere Estate that aimed to host a breeding population of the highly endemic and vulnerable Anamalai gliding frog. Restricted to a few Shola swamps alongside the tea and cardamom plantations in Munnar, the Anamalai gliding frog was struggling to survive amidst habitat loss and ignorance. “Frogs are probably the last of the species that are considered when talking about wildlife conservation. They are nonchalant, small, and some might even consider them icky,” reiterates Mr. Pramod Krishna, the manager of Letchmi Estates, a part of the Kanan Devan Hill Plantations Company Pvt Ltd (KDHP). “However, frogs are also key indicators of the health of the ecosystems they inhabit and would be the first ones to die out if conditions were to deteriorate”, he adds. The success of the pilot project at Windermere was quickly replicated across the plantations of KDHP, and over the years, four similar ponds have been created in the landscape.
Munnar’s Shola forests host at least 15 endangered and 10 vulnerable species of frogs, including both the Resplendent grass frog and the Anamalai gliding frog. “The other species that the WTI is currently focusing on include the Kadalar swamp tree Frog, Shola night frog and the Meowing night frog”, explains Dr. Hari.
A flicker of resplendence
The resplendent grass frog, however, is a different ball game – both in terms of its habitat and the threats. This is a species that is a specialist – breeding and flourishing only in high grassland habitats – the sky islands. It has been recorded only from its type locality – the high elevation grasslands near Anamudi peak (the highest in southern India at 2,695 m) and a few such neighbouring grasslands in the Eravikulam National Park landscape. There have been a few records from the Munnar Forest Division, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and another from the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. Smaller than an adult human thumbnail, it crawls under the grass, rather than making the leaps that are quintessentially associated with frogs. Highly sensitive to heat and light, it will spend the daytime hiding under grass and moss, emerging at night to forage for insects. As dusk settled on the mountain and the sky turned orange, Hari asked us to slow down and listen for the “trrr-click” call, unique to the resplendent. “It’s like a soft whistle, more like the call of a bird, in stark contrast to what you would expect from a frog”, he added, pausing in between, trying to replicate the sound.
We heard the first of the calls from afar, closer to the forested patch, higher up under the clouds. Headlamps instantly switch on, we trudged on, towards the call, hoping the individual would keep guiding us. But soon enough, we lost track, only to be redirected in another direction, quickening our pace. This time, Hari had spotted a flash of orange, glistening against the beam of his headlamp. “It is a natural behaviour for these frogs to jump off, rather than drop down, from their natural perch on the blades of grass, the moment they sense fear or an unnatural disturbance”, explained Hari. Parting the grass at the roots, he pointed to what looked like an orange ball of cotton, a tiny mushroom, perhaps, but with a pulse! It was minuscule. This was not a frog that would leap and turn or could easily vanish. “The resplendent grass frog has short and weak legs, unlike other bush frogs or even toads that we usually see around us”, explained Hari. Perhaps, giving in to our curiosity, the frog slowly crawled onto Hari’s thumb, and he steadily guided it onto a stronger blade of grass. Upon closer examination, we could now see its prominent features – distinct oval spots and dots on either side of the body against a darker patch. Hari explained these as glandular swellings, possibly adaptions to maintain the moisture of their skin or serve as a reservoir for beneficial bacteria. The eyes with a red iris and a horizontal pupil had a dark stroke around, making it distinct from the rest of the body. “A lot, however remains unknown about these frogs”, Hari remarked.
We spent the next hour photographing this frog and a few other individuals that our tracker had spotted, guided by the increasing number of calls from across the grassland patch. “Another species that shares this habitat is the Shola night frog or the Deccan night frog, found in and around the waterbodies inside the forested patches of such Shola habitats. However, here we have a new kind of threat that has recently been highlighted and could affect both species”, Hari added. Earlier on the trek, he had pointed out the bracken ferns that were slowly taking over these grasslands. Believed to be invasive, the roots of these ferns grow deep, and in a matter of just a couple of years, they could colonise this entire landscape. Other invasive growth includes the Crofton Weed, also aptly named the Mexican Devil, named after its place of origin, which has now spread across the globe.
Aliens in the sky
To understand the true implications of the bracken fern, how it has been affecting the local vegetation and the population of frogs, Hari and his team will be conducting extensive surveys across these grasslands in the coming months. Numerous case studies from across Europe have delved deep into the impact of the bracken fern and how it has changed entire ecosystems, impacted agriculture and even the health of livestock. Bracken ferns have extensively hindered ecosystem regeneration, and the toxins associated with the species have led to conditions like bovine enzootic haematuria, fatal to livestock that eat it. The study around the species showing up in the Munnar landscape is at a preliminary stage, but it certainly has been of disadvantage to the local biodiversity. The population of the resplendent grass frog is believed to be declining, and IUCN estimates the numbers to be less than 300 individuals restricted to these sky islands of the Western Ghats. If the bracken fern in fact proves to be a threat, immediate habitat management measures need to be put in place. Climate change has also been a factor in the recent decade, affecting the very specific limitations that these species face. One can say that their sky islands are drowning, and the species inhabiting them are being steadily pushed towards extinction.
I never knew frogs could be so special. Peculiarly fragile, they play a pivotal role as key indicators of ecosystem health. If environmental conditions deteriorate, they are the first ones to be wiped out, further indicating the collapse of the entire biodiversity in the region. This is particularly true for the resplendent grass frog.
Thankfully, in Munnar, the forest department and plantations like KDHP and Windermere have joined hands not only to protect existing ecosystems but also to facilitate new habitats for these unique frogs. “It’s a deep sense of satisfaction when I see frogs like the Anamalai gliding frog breed and thrive in the artificial ponds we have created. To be able to witness a species come alive is certainly motivating and encourages us to do more,” adds. Mr Krishna. It’s not just habitats that WTI is trying to protect. In collaboration with KDHP and the forest department, and with the support of Synchronicity Earth, awareness around frogs has been extended to schools and the local community. As for the resplendent, we need to ensure that its sky islands are left untouched by us and anything else that could disrupt its survival. Until we see the magical world of frogs with our own eyes, we won’t be able to take steps in the right direction. It certainly has been for me, and the resplendent grass frog has been the ideal ambassador.
Contact information:
Project: https://www.wti.org.in/projects/amphibian-recovery-project/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wildlife-trust-of-india/
X: https://x.com/wti_org_india
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildlifetrustofindia/ @wildlifetrustofindia
Instagram (author): https://www.instagram.com/smallerwonders/ @smallerwonders
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