Gastric-brooding Frog

The southern gastric-brooding frog (Rheobatrachus silus) was a medium-sized frog of the family Myobatrachidae, described in 1973, with dull grey to slate-colored skin, large protruding eyes set close together, a short blunt snout, and moist skin; males measured 30 to 44 millimeters and females 41 to 54 millimeters. It was found only in the Blackall Range and Conondale Ranges of southeast Queensland, Australia, between 350 and 800 meters elevation, in an area of less than 1,400 square kilometers of rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, and riverine habitat. It was unique among frogs for brooding its young inside its own stomach. Discovered in 1972, it was last seen in the wild in 1981 and the last captive individual died in 1983; it was declared extinct in 2000, with land use change, invasive species, and the disease chytridiomycosis suspected as causes. Scientists have since attempted to revive the species through cloning.