Common Name: Elegant Dancing Frog, Elegant Torrent Frog, Elegant Bush Frog
Scientific Name: Micrixalus elegans
Family: Micrixalidae – Dancing Frog family
Location: India
Female Size: 0.7 – 0.8 inches (7.7 – 21 mm)
Male Size: 0.51 – 0.61 inches (13 – 15.5 mm)
The Elegant Dancing Frog lives in the streams of mountains of the Western Ghats of India. The streams can be quite noisy so the frog uses an interesting way to communicate…. by dancing. Ok its not really a dance or at least a good one. It’s called foot flagging, where the frog sticks its foot out.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Elegant Dancing Frog as Vulnerable to Extinction. The streams where they live are in danger. Water is being diverted from the streams for irrigation systems while also agriculture is polluting the streams. Also, small dams are popping up up and down the stream.