Approaching Gyeongchip... "Namsan Large Mountain Frog Has Awakened from Hibernation"

Seoul Jungbu Park Leisure Center "Spawning Begins"

On March 3, the Jungbu Park Leisure Center of Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the large mountain frog inhabiting Namsan has awakened from hibernation and begun full-scale spawning ahead of Gyeongchip, the solar term when frogs wake from winter sleep (March 6 in the solar calendar).

The large mountain frog was originally called the "Northern mountain frog" because it was first discovered and reported by Russian scientists in the 19th century. However, it was recently confirmed that the species inhabiting Korea is genetically different from the Russian one, leading to its renaming as the "large mountain frog." Its body length reaches up to about 7 cm, with a reddish-brown back marked with black spots. The large mountain frog is a species requiring continuous monitoring to study the impact of climate change on the distribution of species on the Korean Peninsula and ecological health. In 2010, it was designated as a "climate change biological indicator species."

In Namsan, eight species of frogs including the large mountain frog, designated by the Ministry of Environment as a climate change biological indicator species, as well as true frogs, green frogs, and Om frogs, inhabit the area. Among them, the large mountain frog is the first to begin spawning.

The first spawning of the large mountain frog in Namsan can be observed around mid-February, with full-scale spawning occurring from late February to early March. Tadpoles hatched from the eggs can be observed until June. The time it takes for tadpoles to develop into young frogs varies depending on food availability, water temperature, and environmental factors, but can take up to 120 days.

Additionally, following the spawning of the large mountain frog, salamanders also begin spawning in Namsan, signaling the end of the cold winter during which life was tightly curled up, and the arrival of spring with renewed vitality.

Ha Jae-ho, director of the Seoul Jungbu Park Leisure Center, said, "The news of the large mountain frog’s spawning makes the park feel full of the vibrant energy of spring," adding, "We will do our best to manage Namsan so that it can serve as a warm refuge and home for citizens and diverse wildlife alike."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.