Local guides in Tanzania have made an unexpected discovery on the icy heights of Kilimanjaro – a river frog spotted at over 4,000 metres altitude. While its spectacular leap to Africa's highest mountain reveals the potential of the continent's little-known alpine wildlife, it also raises concerns over climate change.
Named Amietia wittei after Belgian herpetologist Gaston-François De Witte, the frog was thought to live only at lower altitudes, so members of an expedition up Kilimanjaro were not looking for amphibians.
“We wanted to observe the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird – a tiny colourful bird resembling a hummingbird, fond of nectar,” said Dmitry Andreichuk, co-founder of Altezza Travel agency.
“We know it lives between 2,000 and 4,500 metres altitude, so we thought in this part of Kilimanjaro we should definitely find some.”
But it was not a bird that took Andreichuk’s breath away.
“I start descending the slope, and there, I see something jump into the water... I think: ‘Did I really see that?’ Then I move forward again, and I see a second thing jump... and there, I realise it’s a frog!”
That memorable day was in late June on the Shira plateau, at the foot of the memorial to mountaineerer Scott Fischer who died on Everest.
Andreichuk immediately called his brother, who asked him to wait to be sure they were not mistaken. They waited two hours, their feet in icy water, until the frogs reappeared.
It turned out they had seen Amietia wittei, a river frog widespread in Africa but which had never been seen this high before.
Population of critically-endangered thumbnail-sized frogs found in South Africa
Surviving in icy water
In an environment where "even staying 30 seconds with your feet in the water chills you to the bone", Andreichuk notes, the frogs appear to thrive. The small stream – barely 10 centimetres deep – houses a hundred tadpoles and several adults.
“We immediately knew it was something important. We didn’t yet know if it was a new species, but we knew river frogs normally don’t climb this high.”
Professor Alan Channing, a specialist in amphibians at Northwest University in South Africa, confirmed that it was indeed Amietia wittei. The frog had already been found on several high plateaus of East Africa – notably in Kenya (Aberdare, Mount Elgon, Mount Kenya) and Uganda – but never at this altitude.
"These frogs have an incredible capacity for adapting to the cold," Channing explains. "Their metabolism works at slow speed. They can survive in icy waters, sometimes even covered with surface ice. They've been there for millions of years."
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Limited escape routes
With global warming, the frogs are moving higher to stay cool. “If streams continue to flow at higher altitude, they could climb even more,” he notes.
The frogs rely on cold water and mountain micro-ecosystems, so they may not keep pace with rising temperatures. “They flourish in cool zones, but if temperatures rise too much, their survival will be compromised.”
Other related species, like Amietia nutti, already live lower down and have fewer options. Kilimanjaro reaches nearly 6,000 metres, but other East African mountains such as Mount Elgon or the Aberdares are lower, leaving limited escape routes.
On these ranges, some frogs already live at the top, and if the planet keeps heating, they will have nowhere left to go.
A 45-day mission to Kilimanjaro is now planned to watch the frogs and learn more about how they survive.
Andreichuk's discovery could herald others.
"We weren't even doing research, we were just hiking for pleasure," he says. "And yet, we made an extraordinary discovery. Imagine what specialised researchers could find.
“Kilimanjaro still has a lot to show us.”
This article was adapted from the original version in French by RFI's Christina Okello
