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The purple frog could soon be designated as Kerala’s state amphibian.
About Purple Frog:
- It is also known as Maveli frog.
- Indigenous tribes in Kerala consume between 15,000 and 20,000 tadpoles annually during the monsoon season.
- Adult frogs are believed to have medicinal benefits and are also considered aphrodisiacs.
- Children wear amulets made from Adult Maveli frogs as it is believed that doing so will reduce their fear of storms.
- The frog spends the bulk of its life underground and only comes up for about two weeks before the monsoons in order to mate.
- Male is a third of the size of the female.
- Classified as an explosive breeder, the female of the species lays thousands of eggs at a breeding site.
- They are quite widely distributed in Western Ghats.
- The frog is called ‘living fossil’ as it is believed that they have coexisted with dinosaurs almost 70 million years ago.
- IUCN status – Endangered
