Despite the name, the mountain chicken isn’t a chicken – and nor is it a mountain. Instead, the mountain chicken is actually a species of frog which is native to Dominica and Montserrat.
Also known as the giant ditch frog, the main reason for its local name of mountain chicken is that it is said to taste like chicken, though the name could also be derived from its large size, or its chicken-like and squawking alarm call.
Another theory suggests that its name comes from the way froglets are raised: after leaving the nest they hatched in, the froglets stay with the mother frogs for a while, in a similar way to how hens raise their chicks.
Sadly, this large frog is now at risk of extinction and is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
A combination of habitat destruction, invasive species and hunting have contributed to its decline, but the main cause for the recent plummet in numbers is a chytrid fungus, which causes the fatal disease chytridiomycosis (often referred to as chytrid).
Main image: Mountain chicken frog. Credit: Derek Galon/Getty
