Leaping ahead

This is international year of the frog and, as if in celebration, 13 Maud Island froglets hatched at the Karori Sanctuary earlier this year. The fingernail-sized froglets—they emerge from eggs almost fully formed without going through the tadpole stage—were then transferred to Victoria University, and into the care of Kerri Lukas, who is studying the population for her Master’s degree. Eleven of the froglets survived (two had developmental problems, for unknown reasons) and successfully returned to the sanctuary, hopefully to breed themselves.