Devon

By Jemima Laing BBC Devon

The frogs are native to Madagascar

A Devon zoo has been faced with an unusual challenge - to try to recreate tropical weather conditions including the rainy season.

Staff at Paignton Zoo have been working hard to provide a familiar habitat so two rare species of frog could breed.

The yellow mantella is listed as endangered and the splendid or Parker's mantella is classified as vulnerable.

The zoo said the births of the frogs -which are native to Madagascar - are "extremely significant".

They were born at the Amphibian Ark, the zoo's species rescue and reintroduction centre.

The zoo is the only UK collection keeping the species

Staff recreated the conditions by laying out the tanks, arranging the soil, providing water and generating humidity to mimic the tropical forests of Madagascar, where these species come from.

"There are lots of variables," explained Mike Bungard, curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates.

"The amount of room in the tanks, the type of terrain, the humidity, the length of day, the variety and frequency of food, water quality and temperature.

"We look after hundreds of different species of reptiles and amphibians - we need to make sure each one gets everything it needs."

"Although they come from a tropical region, many species do not like it too hot - some, like the critically endangered golden mantella, come from the higher, cooler mountain forests.

"In the wild, they lay their eggs buried deep in moss and leaf litter on dry slopes - we think it could be a strategy to keep them away from predators.

"When the rains come the emerging tadpoles are washed into watercourses - we recreated these seasonal cycles and also modified the amount of food available to simulate the natural changes in the wild.

Paignton Zoo is the only collection in the UK keeping these species.

The frogs are part of a collection being housed by the zoo on behalf of Endangered Madagascar, a wildlife conservation centre being built in Bath.

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