The mountain chicken , so-called for its love of moun-tainous forests and similarity in taste to that of chicken , is a large Caribbean frog of the family Leptodactylinae. Adults reach, on average, 135 mm in body length (Brooks, 1982) but large specimens, often female, regu-larly exceed 170mm (pers.obs.). Leptodactylus fallax, commonly known as the mountain chicken or giant ditch frog, is a critically endangered species of frog that is native to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. The population declined by at least 80% from 1995 to 2004, [2][3] with further significant declines later. [1][4] A tiny wild population remains on Dominica where there are efforts to preserve it, but few or none survive in the wild on Montserrat and its survival now relies on a captive breeding ... Threats The mountain chicken seems to have an endless list of threats including hunting, disease, natural disasters, habitat loss, and predation by introduced species and exposure to deadly pollutants. The total population of this giant frog has declined by 80% since 1995. On the island of Dominica, the mountain chicken is hunted for food and is the country’s national dish. 8,000 – 36,000 individuals can be killed in annual hunts leading to a ban on hunting of the species being ...
