Archey's Frog

Archey's frog is a small, primitive frog found only in two forest areas of New Zealand's North Island, family Leiopelmatidae, a family that diverged early in frog evolution and has changed very little over tens of millions of years. It has no eardrums, does not croak, and is a poor jumper, and it skips the free swimming tadpole stage: hatchlings crawl directly onto the father's back and are carried there through metamorphosis. It is critically endangered, with a total population estimated in the low tens of thousands.