This is amphibian related to the family of crusads and a detachment. This species is listed in the Red Book of Eurasia and is considered to be reduced in numbers.
How it looks
The length of the frog body varies from 33 to 60 mm. The skin of the Caucasian cross has an olive shade, it is easy to notice a dark spots on it. There are red dots on the backs of some individuals. Millimeter tubercles with a diameter of 0.5 1 mm are noticeable on the back and head, from which ridges are formed. They are formed by leather glands. Outside the reproduction period on the back, you can notice a drawing resembling a cross. Bruck frogs gray. By the beginning of the marriage, the male forms corns presented by black hillocks on the sides and forelimbs. Sexual dimorphism is expressed by color: females are always brighter than males. The upper body of the female individual has red.
Habitat
Caucasian cross endemic Caucasus and Transcaucasia. E amphibians can be found both on the Black Sea coast and in Western Azerbaijan with Turkey. The northern border of the range passes through Novorossiysk and North Ossetia.
The frog lives in the forests with high humidity. Caucasian cross can also be found in poorly lit streams with standing water. Wintering takes place in a forest litter.
Reproduction
The propagation period begins in May, and ends in midOctober. Caviar is the female only in places with a weak current. The masonry is a 8-centimeter bag, which can be from 79 to 750 eggs. In order for the larvae to develop, a wellheated reservoir is required, because only there it spawns. During this period, the females are on the shore during the day, hiding from sight. Only when the males begin to get dark go under water and sing draft songs, calling for females.
Larvae develop about 80 days. Tadpoles who hatched late, winter and turn into adults next year.
Numbers
On the territory of the Krasnodar Territory in the marriage period, the density of males is approximately 12 per hectare of the reservoir. In some populations in the Caucasus there are about 9,000 amphibians. The main threat is the extermination of habitats, clearing forest litter. Caviar often dies due to transport and excavation. This species is quite susceptible to anthropogenic factors, it is rarely found on such landscapes.
Security
Caucasian cross is guarded in the Teberdinsky and Caucasian Reserve. Another reserve where this endemic lives is located in the Krasnodar Territory, in the village of a plank slot. This species was bred in the Moscow Zoo.
Interesting Facts
- Individuals become sexually mature at 2 years old.
- Males can make sounds similar to those that make a kettle cover when boiling.
- This frog is active at night, in the afternoon she prefers to hide under stones and snags.
- Maximum tadpole50 mm.
Caucasian crosses eat algae and invertebrate representatives, during the development of tadpoles can eat animal corpses and detritus.
