PHILIPPINE FLAT-HEADED FROG

(Barbourula busuangensis) Vulnerable

The Philippine flat-headed frog is also known as the Busuanga jungle toad and the Philippine aquatic frog. The secretive nature of the animal, combined with what may be very specific environmental requirements, makes this species vulnerable to further changes in habitat.

Aside from Palawan, they are endemic also to Busuanga, Culion, and Balabac islands, according to a 2002 article by Carlos Infante for Amphibiaweb.org. They are considered as large, heavybodied, and highly aquatic frogs, with nostrils and eyes positioned at the top side of the head. They don’t have external ear structures. All of their limbs are robust, and both hands and feet are webbed. Their color is a dark shade of greenish-black, with some pale green markings or spots on the hind legs.

They usually live in fast, unpolluted streams in lowland tropical forest areas. While they are usually found on the water surface, they tend to go down to the bottom and hide there when they feel something is wrong. Because of this, it is possible that they have a wider range of habitation than what is known.

Little is known about their life cycle, but the absence of tadpoles found for the species and the existence of large eggs found with pregnant females suggest that development may skip the tadpole stage. Breeding in captivity has not been successful.