The Surprise Reappearance of a Rare Marsupial Frog Has Scientists Leaping to Protect its Habitat

The marsupial frog, which incubates its young in a pouch on its back, was thought to be extinct in some countries.

The word “marsupial” typically evokes a kangaroo or perhaps a koala, something furry and warm-blooded that protects its babies in a pouch. But a surprising variety of creatures have evolved this unusual means of parental care, including crustaceans, seahorses—and frogs.

The horned marsupial frog is “a fascinating creature that people can’t wrap their heads around,” says James Muchmore, founder of Save the Chocó, a conservation group dedicated to protecting this threatened region of Ecuadorean rainforest.

In 2018, researchers headed to a little-studied region of the Chocó that narrowly escaped destruction after the nonprofit Jocotoco Foundation partnered with Muchmore to purchase land threatened by logging. They returned with joyous news: They’d seen—and heard—horned marsupial frogs. “It’s extremely loud for such a little animal,” says Muchmore, who later visited the area. “You could hear them throughout the jungle.”

The frog’s rediscovery, says Martin Schaefer, CEO of Jocotoco, proves the importance of protecting remote, vulnerable habitats. “Hope is something we all can create with our actions,” he says.