Giant Ditch Frog - Distribution and Habitat

Distribution and Habitat

The Giant Ditch Frog was once found on many of the eastern Caribbean islands, but is now restricted to just Dominica and Montserrat. It once occurred for certain on Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis, but is now extinct there, and may have also inhabited Saint Lucia and Antigua. The species was also unsuccessfully reintroduced to Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Today, the mountain chicken is largely restricted to the Centre Hills of northern Montserrat, having been lost from much of the rest of the island by recent volcanic eruptions, and on the western side of Dominica. It is also found on the eastern side of Dominica, but the species origin there is unclear and it may have been introduced to the area.

The Giant Ditch Frog is found in a variety of moist habitats, including dense secondary forest and scrub, hillside plantations, palm groves in river valleys, ravines and flooded forest. It is most commonly found near streams and springs, and is rarely found in grasslands. On Dominica it is most abundant at lower altitudes, although it occurs up to 400 metres, and is found up to 430 metres on Montserrat.