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Croaking in the Western Ghats

Encountering the enigmatic Green Croaker of Annamalai – Raorchestes jayarami.

Raorchestes jayarami, commonly known as Jayaram’s Bush Frog, is one of the many nocturnal residents of the Annamalai Tiger Reserve situated amidst the Western Ghats.

While visiting the Annamalai TR on a trip to research the herpetofauna in the area, we came across a wonderful resident. It was late in the evening, well after the sun had set, when we went out in search of the herpetofauna residing in the deep rainforests of Annamalai. After traversing for a while in the dense forests with LED torches, we heard the croaking call of this dynamic green beauty sitting underneath a Taro Leaf (Colocasiaesculenta) which is a tropical plant. This was a fabulous sighting for us as to catch a glimpse of this tiny little amphibian was not an easy task to accomplish.

 

Jayaram’s Bush frogs are endemic to Western Ghats. They are mostly green colored individuals with white underparts. It has a distinctive yellow patch around its eyes and a pointed snout which is one of the important characteristics of this species of frog. This striking green beauty inflates its vocal sac for attracting female counterparts which is a stunning sight to behold. We did take some pictures of its unique behavior without disturbing it to have some pictorial documentation.

Annamalai Tiger Reserve forms the habitat of many such amazing life forms and is a must visit place for nature lovers.

 

Classification:

 

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Raorchestes
Species: R. jayarami

 

 

 

About the Author /

A Banker by profession, Rajdeep is very passionate about nature and wildlife. Photographing the biodiversity for him is an excuse to spend more time with them. He thinks that Photography and story telling together can deliver a powerful message to sprout better conservation practices and revitalize the ecosystem.

Comment(1)

  • Arpit

    August 17, 2019

    This initiative will add new chapter to the ecosystem and provide awareness to the mankind to save their ecosystem and wildlife

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