World’s loneliest frog, Romeo, finally finds his Juliet after 10 years alone in his tank
After 10 years alone in his aquarium tank, Romeo, the world’s loneliest frog, has finally found his Juliet.
Scientists ventured to a remote Bolivian cloud forest in search of other Sehuencas water frogs – and captured five of the animals including a female dubbed ‘Juliet’.
‘Romeo’ has fruitlessly called for a mate from his tank at the Cochabamba Natural History Museum for a decade.
Expedition leader Teresa Camacho Badani of the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Cochabamba City said, ‘Romeo is really calm and relaxed and doesn’t move a whole lot.’
His mate, Juliet, is rather different, she told the BBC, saying, ‘She’s really energetic, she swims a lot and she eats a lot and sometimes she tries to escape.
Sehuencas water frogs typically live for about 15 years.
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When Romeo was captured 10 years ago, scientists knew his species was in trouble, but were not prepared for the fact that they would not be able to find another individual.
Romeo began calling for a mate about a year after being brought into captivity – but scientists were unable to find one.
Last year, scientists created a dating profile for the frog in an effort to raise awareness of the species plight.
The researchers now hope to breed the frog in captivity, and possibly release the children into the wild.
