Shovels for feet and blotting paper skin: the ‘little fat froggy’ facing a fight for survival

The desert rain frog, native to a narrow coastal strip of south-west Africa, has been classified as vulnerable on the IUCN red list, as its habitat is threatened by mining The desert rain frog is one of the most unusual amphibians on the planet. With a rotund body and stumpy legs that dig rather than jump, it has evolved to survive not in wetlands or rainforests, but in the unforgiving dunes of the southern African desert. This week the species was declared to be threatened with extinction by...

By Rebecca Ratcliffe