Guide Note

Barbourula kalimantanensis is the scientific name for the Bornean Flat-Headed Frog, an endangered species of frog that is indigenous to Borneo. It is the only known species of frog that does not have any lungs, and breathes entirely through its skin. The few known populations of Barbourula kalimantanensis are threatened by pollution, logging, and mining operations.¹

Fast Facts

1. Common name: Bornean Flat-Headed Frog
2. Conservation status: Endangered
3. Discovered in 1978 by zoologist, Djoko Iskandar
4. Found only in Borneo, in the West Kalimantan province of Indonesia
5. First known species of frog that has no lungs
6. Lack of lungs more common in salamanders²

For decades after it was first discovered, only two specimens of Barbourula kalimantanensis had ever been isolated for scientific study. But an expedition in August, 2007 located two previously-unknown populations near the area where the species was first observed.²