Short-headed Frog

The Ethiopian Short-headed Frog (Balebreviceps hillmani) is one of the rarest specimens in our collections. It has been found in just one place in the Bale Mountains National Park of southern Ethiopia, and is officially classified as 'endangered'.

It lives in high altitude cloud forest, probably depositing its eggs in underground burrows rather than water. The frog's anatomy tells us that it is deaf, and that males have no voice to attract mates. The distinctive colour warns predators that if attacked this frog can secrete a poisonous substance from its skin. In many ways it is very different from its nearest, but geographically isolated, relatives in north-east Tanzania, therefore it is of great interest to scientists concerned with the evolution and conservation of African amphibians.

The species was discovered in 1986 during an expedition part-financed by National Museums Liverpool. It was subsequently named and described for the first time by a member of staff at Liverpool Museum (now World Museum Liverpool), which owns all but two of the very few specimens that have been collected. It will almost certainly never go on public display as it is far too valuable and fragile, being preserved in alcohol and therefore liable to fade very quickly when exposed to light. .

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