Galaxy Frog, a rare species, mysteriously vanishes from Indian rainforest

This Rare Frog Has Vanished—Here's Why

In 2020, seven of these frogs were discovered in a mountain rainforest in western India. Now they're gone. This is what happened.

The Melanobatrachus indicus is a tiny frog, measuring just two to four centimeters long—roughly the size of a fingertip. Its body is jet black, speckled with striking blue-and-white dots that give it the appearance of a starry night sky, earning it the nickname "Galaxy Frog."

Native to India's rainforests, this ground-dwelling amphibian is neither venomous (despite its vivid markings) nor common. In fact, the species is critically endangered.

In 2020, zoologist Rajkumar K. P. discovered seven of these frogs in a mountainous rainforest in western India. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to return to the site to study them further, The Guardian reports.

When he finally revisited the area after the pandemic, the frogs had disappeared.

The vegetation and the fallen log where they had lived were completely trampled. At first, the zoologist suspected mongooses—a type of small mammal—might have been responsible.

He asked a local resident if they had seen anything. The villager told him that small groups of photographers had been at the site. They had flipped over the log and dug through the surrounding soil, hoping to find the frogs.

When they succeeded, they picked the frogs up and positioned them against different backdrops, determined to capture the perfect shot.

This was life-threatening for the frogs. Their skin is extremely delicate because they breathe through their pores, meaning even bare-handed handling can be fatal to these tiny amphibians.

Since then, the zoologist has not found a single frog.

The local resident told him that two of the frogs had died after being repeatedly picked up by one photographer.

Despite extensive searches, Rajkumar K. P. has not located any more of the frogs. Speaking to The Guardian, he called such harmful actions unjust and expressed hope that this incident would teach people to treat rare species and their habitats with greater care and respect.