The gastric-brooding frogs or platypus frogs (Rheobatrachus) is a genus of extinct ground-dwelling frogs native to Queensland in eastern Australia. It contained two species; Rheobatrachus silus and Rheobatrachus vitellinus, both became extinct in the 1980s. Despite it going extinct, attempts are being made to clone it and bring it back[1].
The entire range of the genus was only 2,000 kilometers and its habitat consisted of wetlands such as rain forests and rivers. Habitat loss is thought to be one of the reasons for the extinction, however disease and pollution are also possible causes. It is quite possible that the cause was a mix of these factors.
Taxonomy[]
There are two known species of Rheobatrachus, both of which went extinct in the 1980s. The frog was named less than 10 years earlier in 1973. The genus's placement in the family Myobatrachidae is controversial, and it may be placed in the family Limnodynastidae[2]. Both species do not closely resemble other species of frog in the country, and have many features that very few species of frogs share. Some of these features are completely unique to the genus Rheobatrachus such as the ability to raise their children in their stomach .
Reproduction[]
The female ingests the eggs once laid. The young gastric-brooding frogs are taken care of in their mother's stomach. This feature is only found in the Gastric Brooding Frog.
Gallery[]
