Purple Frog:
The government of Tamil Nadu established the Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund (TNESCF) to protect the purple frog and other lesser-known endangered species.
- Purple Frog is also known as the Maveli frog or Pignose Frog.
- It is believed to have coexisted with dinosaurs and has similarities to the Sooglossidae family of frogs in Seychelles.
- It is often called a ‘living fossil’ which belongs to the Nasikabatrachidae family.
- It has a bloated body with short stout limbs and is dark purple to greyish in colour.
- Tamil Nadu is home to two types of Purple frogs: Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis and Nasikabatrachus bhupathi.
- It remains underground most of the year except for 2-3 weeks during the monsoon when it comes out to mate.
- Conservation status
- IUCN: Endangered
- Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022: Schedule I
