The “mountain chicken” is a curious name, as it refers not to a bird, but to a large frog.
Unmasking the Mountain Chicken
The animal commonly known as the “mountain chicken” is a large species of frog. Its scientific name is Leptodactylus fallax. It is one of the largest frogs globally, and the largest native to the Caribbean. Adults can reach substantial sizes, sometimes weighing up to 1 kilogram and measuring as long as 22 centimeters. Its robust body is typically reddish-brown or chestnut-brown, often with darker speckles or bars, and features a pale yellow or cream underside. This coloration provides effective camouflage within its natural environment.
The Roots of Its Unusual Name
The “mountain chicken” moniker stems from several historical and biological factors. Historically, this large amphibian was a popular food source and local delicacy, with its meat often compared to chicken in taste and texture, even serving as Dominica’s national dish. The “chicken” part of its name also relates to its substantial size, with its powerful hind limbs sometimes likened to chicken drumsticks. Its vocalizations, including whooping calls, trilling barks from males, and squawking alarm calls, also contributed to the chicken association. The “mountain” aspect of its name directly refers to its preferred habitat in hilly and forested regions.
Life in Its Natural Habitat
The mountain chicken frog inhabits the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat, though it was once more widespread across several Lesser Antillean islands. It prefers moist habitats such as humid forests, deep ravines, and areas near streams, often found in dense secondary vegetation, scrub, hillside plantations, and palm groves. This species is primarily nocturnal, hunting at dusk. As a carnivore, its diet includes a variety of prey, from insects and millipedes to crustaceans, spiders, and even small vertebrates like other frogs, snakes, and small mammals.
The mountain chicken’s reproduction is unique among amphibians. Breeding occurs in underground burrows, where the male attracts a female with calls. The female lays her eggs within a foam nest created inside these burrows, a unique adaptation that provides a moist and protected environment for the developing tadpoles. The female exhibits parental care, feeding her tadpoles thousands of unfertilized eggs until they complete their development into froglets, which typically takes around 45 days.
Conservation Challenges and Efforts
The mountain chicken frog is currently classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It faces multiple threats, including habitat loss due to human encroachment and volcanic activity, especially on Montserrat. Historically, hunting for human consumption also significantly impacted its populations. However, the most devastating threat has been the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.
This fungal disease, which attacks amphibian skin, caused an estimated 80% population decline on Dominica within 18 months of its appearance in 2002. On Montserrat, the fungus led to near-extinction of the wild population by 2009. Conservation efforts for the mountain chicken involve international collaborations, including captive breeding programs in zoos to maintain a safety-net population. Researchers are also exploring approaches like creating “safe havens” with environmental manipulation to help wild populations survive despite the chytrid fungus.