Spicy addition to Oxfordshire zoo's amphibian collection

Cotswold Wildlife Park films its newest addition, a Cinnamon Frog.

In 2019, Cotswold Wildlife Park became only the second zoological collection in Europe to breed the beautifully coloured Cinnamon Frog (Nyctixalus pictus).

Reptile keepers have announced they have managed to repeat this success.

Only five other zoos in Europe, including the UK, keep this species and only one other has successfully bred these small amphibians in the last twelve months.

Jamie Craig, Curator and General Manager of Cotswold Wildlife Park, said: “Our dedicated Reptile team have been working hard to perfect breeding techniques in our Amphibian Room.

Many frog species have incredibly specific requirements, and it is a testament to their hard work they have now managed to replicate our previous success with the Cinnamon Frogs.

With the perilous state of many amphibian species in the world due to the Chytrid fungus, any expertise garnered from the captive populations may well be important tools for the future of these fascinating creatures”.

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In the wild, this secretive species lives in the forests of South East Asia, including southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra.

They breed in phytothelms (water-filled cavities in trees or plants) where females lay their eggs above the water’s surface.

When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles drop into the water below and begin their free-swimming stage.

After a few months of growth and development, the tadpoles undergo metamorphosis and emerge from the water as tiny froglets (the adults themselves only grow to approximately 35mm in length).

This Old World Tree Frog is famous for its intense reddish orange colouring andtiny bright white spots over its body.

This dotted pattern gives the species another of its common names - the Painted Indonesian Tree Frog.

They change colour from hour to hour, as well as over their lifespan, and seem to be brightest as juveniles and sub-adults.

Inspired by their vibrant colouring, keepers have named the new arrivals after suitably coloured spices.

The first froglets to emerge have been named; Paprika, Cayenne, Saffron, Chipotle and Chilli.

At this delicate stage of their development, they will remain off-show in the specialistAmphibian Breeding Room under the watchful eye of the Reptile team.

Updates will be posted on the Park’s social media about their progress.

Cinnamon Frogs possess one of the most unique and diverse calls in the amphibian world.

In 1989, it was the subject of a scientific study carried out by Kyoto University in Japan.

They had never been acoustically studied before.

Researchers concluded that “the call of this species does not resemble calls of any other rhacophorid species”.

A later article published by Singapore Botanical Gardens, described their calls as an “anuran symphony”, stating the shy, forest-dependent Tree Frogs are “capable of performing surprisingly melodious tunes”.

Reptile Keeper Megan Howard managed to film the Park’s new Cinnamon Froglets calling to each other.

She describes them as “delicate, beautiful and unusual and so interesting to watch as they develop”.

These new additions at Cotswold Wildlife Park are just one of the many breeding successes the Reptile team have achieved in recent years.

In 2023, it became only the second zoological collection in the world to breed rare Mexican Giant Leaf Frogs (Agalychnis dacnicolor).

In 2017, it made history as the first collection in the UK to breed the endangered Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) – a species which is nearly extinct in Vietnam and China with approximately 850 Chinese Crocodile Lizards left in the wild.

Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates on our planet.

They were the subject of the concluding episode of BBC One’s most recent Planet Earth III’s television series (2023).

During the final episode, Sir David Attenborough described frogs as: “The most endangered group of animals in the world”.

One of the biggest threats to their future is a virulent fungal disease fatal to amphibians called Chytrid.

Discussing the irreversible effects of the disease, he stated that 90 species arethought to have become extinct as a consequence and almost 600 more are now critically endangered.

In addition to Chytrid, climate change and habitat destruction threaten wild Cinnamon Frog populations.

Oil palm plantations are appearing at an alarming rate in their native homeland of South East Asia.

These plantations supply nearly 90 percent of the world’s palm oil.

The rapid growth of the industry has resulted in rampant deforestation leading to a decline in diversity of frog species.

A study published in 2018 concluded the richness of species noticeably declined in forests that bordered plantations.

Cinnamon Frogs depend on a variety of aquatic sites for reproduction that are typically not found in the relatively drier conditions of oil palm plantations.

Frogs are referred to as the “canaries in the coalmine” due to their extreme sensitivity toenvironmental changes which could ultimately lead to their extinction and are an early warning of things to come.

Urgent conservation action is needed.

On 28 April each year, the worldwide campaign ‘Save The Frogs Day’ takes place.

Now in its 16th year, its aim is to raise awareness of the rapid disappearance of frog species globally and share the knowledge needed to protect amphibians from extinction.

April is also National Frog Month.

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