Hunting treefrogs in Africa’s Eden

Rayna Bell, ecology and evolutionary biology Ph.D. candidate and National Geographic Young Explorer, was recently on the hunt in the jungles of the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe for the elusive tadpoles of Leptopelis palmatus, or the Príncipe Giant Treefrog. This unique species of treefrog, the largest in Africa, is currently under threat from recent discoveries of offshore oil, which are poised to bring rapid development to the small equatorial nation, endangering habitats rich in endemic species found nowhere else in the world. Bell is part of a team of researchers working to catalog the biodiversity of São Tomé and Príncipe before it is too late. Because the spawn of the Príncipe Giant Treefrog are so rare – in fact, they’ve never been seen, let alone studied – little is understood about the species’ breeding habits or the habitats in which it can propagate. Bell even theorizes the species may be “direct-developing,” thus skipping the tadpole stage of life entirely. By locating these tadpoles, Bell hopes to illuminate the life cycle of L. palmatus before industrial development encroaches upon its singular home.