I was in Borneo last fall, in a very wild place called Gunung Palung National Park, following orangutans and macaques and leaf monkeys, oh my. Being around primates is always very exciting, and nobody threw poop, which was a nice change from some primate-viewing experiences I’ve had.
And yet, even considering the droopy-cheeked orange apes, this frog might have been my favorite thing. I mean, look at her! [I’m guessing she was a she because the shes are bigger than the hes and she was pretty big.] Such a giant frog in the hand feels amazing. Check out her webbed feet and those front toes with the knobs on the end! And get this: She could fly.
Locals told me she was a Wallace’s flying frog (named for biologist Alfred Russell Wallace, who is said to have collected the first specimen, though apparently a Chinese laborer actually found the frog so really that laborer should get all the credit, but that’s not how these things go). I sat on a log for quite a while waiting for her to fling herself from one tree to another, legs spread and wacky feet splayed. When she finally obliged, it was a glorious sight, though it was less flight than a sort of awkward gliding or parachuting, with a gentle but still downward trajectory. Gravity and everything.
Then, poked by a student, she flew again, this time landing FULLY ON MY FACE. A perfect cartoon SPLAT, that was. Unfortunately, nobody got a picture, and I wasn’t quick enough for a selfie. Such a missed opportunity.
There’s an illustration of this kind of frog that’s really great, but I don’t know if I need permission to include it here. So, here’s a link to it. Revel in its adorableness before the paywall pops up.
Happily, these particular rainforest frogs seem to be hanging in there; they’re considered “of least concern” by the IUCN, whose list of endangered and threatened species tends toward bad news.
There were other incredibly lovable frogs in the park, and I might share them in another post later. For now, here’s my girl once again.
What a pretty girl!