Tobago Poison FrogMannophryne olmanae

The Tobago Poison Frog (Mannophryne olmanae) is a small ground-dwelling frog found along rocky stream beds of the island of Tobago.   It has a very small range and is only known from the northeastern corner of this small island.  It is also known by the rather quaint name of Bloody Bay Stream Frog due to the fact that is found near Bloody Bay (named for a bloody battle between English soldiers and African slaves in 1771 that turned the bay red with blood!).  Tobago Poison Frog is a little less colorful but may be more descriptive of where they are found. 😉 

Unfortunately, although I was able to hear some of these little frogs calling along the roadside one afternoon, I was not able to see the individual frogs.  So the only photo I have to share is the photo of the roadside stream/waterfall area where they were calling. 😢  They were calling from above this rocky wall out of sight and inaccessible to me.

The call of the Tobago Poison Frog is a cricket-like chirping similar to the call of it's sister species from Trinidad (Mannophryne trinitatis).  When you hear them calling in a chorus like this, it sounds a bit like a squeaky metal wheel -

Next trip to Tobago, I need to actually see one of these little guys!
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© Chris Harrison 2019