Hula painted frog is the first amphibian to have been officially declared extinct by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). However, it is no longer considered to be extinct and is now listed as critically endangered. Shortly after the frog’s discovery in the early 1940’s, its habitat was drained. The frog was declared extinct in 1996 after not having been seen since 1955. But in 2011, the frog was rediscovered. It is the only surviving species (kind) of frog in the genus Latonia, once thought to have gone extinct 15,000 years ago.
Hula painted frogs live in the marshlands of the Hula Valley in northern Israel. They may be found under wet, rotting leaf litter in thick growths of reeds and blackberry bushes. Their entire habitat covers an area of less than 3/4 square mile (2 square kilometers).
Little is known about the Hula painted frog because it is rare. The frog has a distinctive dark underside with white spots. On its back, it has streaks of black, olive, and a rustlike color. The Hula painted frog measures about 3 1/3 inches (8.4 centimeters) long and weighs 1.9 ounces (53 grams). It is eaten by such waterfowl as kingfishers.
