The Conservation Alliance

The endangered Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog is smaller than your pinky finger, and pounces on prey instead of snatching them with a sticky tongue like other frogs. It’s one of the longest-lived frogs in the world, yet can’t croak or call. This remarkable amphibian is one of a dozen at-risk species in B.C.’s Flathead River Valley, a Noah’s Ark for species that have lost habitat elsewhere. Everything about this hopscotching creature is intriguing. Tailed frogs grow very slowly, with tadpoles taking four to five years to metamorphose. The froglets take several more years to mature sexually, and adults can live for as long as 20 years. They only reach three centimetres in length. The tailed frog’s hind foot toes are flatter and wider than toes on other frogs and toads. They lack the external “ear” of other frogs, and are voiceless. B.C. is the only place in Canada with tailed... Read More