WALLACE’S FLYING FROG

RHACOPHORUS NIGROPALMATUS

Wallace discovered this species in Sarawak, Borneo, when a specimen was brought to him by a workman who insisted that he’d seen it glide down in a slanting direction from a tree. He was struck by the ‘Darwinian’ adaptations of its webbed feet, which had already been modified for swimming and adhesive climbing. Though the species wasn’t officially described until much later, and Wallace’s specimens were not used in the scientific description, his delightful watercolour ( top left) is an iconic record of the species.