Puerto Rican rock frog

Puerto Rican rock frog
Female Puerto Rican rock frog
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Eleutherodactylidae
Genus:	Eleutherodactylus
Subgenus:	Eleutherodactylus
Species:	E. cooki
Binomial name
Eleutherodactylus cooki Grant, 1932
Known habitat area, east Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rican rock frog (Eleutherodactylus cooki), also known as the Puerto Rican cave-dwelling frog or rock coqui, and locally as coquí guajón, or guajón for brevity, is a threatened frog species from the coqui genus. This unique species of tropical frogs dwells primarily in crevices and grottos in the Cuchilla de Panduras mountain range in southeastern Puerto Rico.^[2] The native name guajón is derived from its habitat, guajonales, which are caves formed by rock formations between huge stones.^[2] Despite being the state animal and considered emblematic of the region, of the 17 species of coquí, three are believed to be extinct and the rest are rare and declining in numbers. The Puerto Rican rock frog is extremely restricted in geographical distribution. The frog is threatened due to deforestation, agricultural, rural, and industrial development, and the associated infrastructure.^[2] It is sometimes called the "demon of Puerto Rico" (demonio de Puerto Rico in Spanish) because of its eerie call and phantom-like appearance.^[3] The species was first described by American herpetologist, Chapman Grant in 1932.