Malawi – Endangered Frogs – Purple Frog – 10 Kwacha – 2010 – Proof Colored Coin – The Purple Frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) is a frog species belonging to the family Sooglossidae. It can be found in the Western Ghats in India. Compared to other frogs, the Purple Frog has a small head and an unusual pointed snout. Adults are typically dark purple in color. Its cry sounds more like one from a chicken.

Malawi – Endangered Frogs – Malagasy Rainbow Frog – 10 Kwacha – 2010 – Proof Colored Coin – The Malagasy Rainbow Frog (Scaphiophryne gottlebei), is one of the most highly decorated of the Madagascan frogs. In 2008, the Malagasy rainbow frog was named as “being among the rarest and most remarkable amphibians” on the planet by the Zoological Society of London. Thousands are captured every year for the pet trade. The painted burrowing frog is a small, roundish, brightly colored species with a distinctive white, red, green and black pattern on the back. The skin of the back is very smooth, but the skin of the grey belly is a little bit rough. The ears are inconspicuous, but the eyes are prominent.

Malawi – Endangered Frogs – Tree Frog – 10 Kwacha – 2010 – Proof Colored Coin – A tree frog is any frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. As the name implies, these frogs are typically found in very tall trees or other high-growing vegetation. They do not normally descend to the ground, except to mate and spawn, though some build foam nests on leaves and rarely leave the trees at all as adults. Many tree frogs can change their color for better camouflage. Tree frogs are usually tiny, as their weight has to be carried by the branches and twigs of their habitat. While some reach 4 inches or more, they are typically smaller and more slender than terrestrial frogs. Typical for “tree frogs” are the well-developed discs at the finger and toe tips; the fingers and toes themselves as well as the limbs tend to be rather long, resulting in a superior grasping ability.

Malawi – Endangered Frogs – Golden Harlequin Frog – 10 Kwacha – 2010 – Proof Colored Coin – Harlequin frogs are found in neotropics from Costa Rica to Bolivia. They belong to the genus Atelopus and include about 80 species, and probably 35 not yet described. The vast majority (80%) of the harlequin frog species lives in forested mountains where rainfall is abundant. Most of them have a limited range of distribution. Harlequin frogs are usually active day and night. Harlequin frogs are small-to-medium size amphibians (20-60 mm from the tip of the nose to the vent) with females always lager than males. Females have usually a different color under their ventral parts. Rising temperatures, habitat destruction, and the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus have wiped out dozens of species of harlequin frogs in recent years. Further, most of the harlequin frog species are listed as critically endangered with a very high risk of extinction.