Category Archives: Cute Frog of the Week

Singing in the rain!

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San Carlos tree frog (Dendropsophus phlebodes)

San Carlos tree frog (Dendropsophus phlebodes)

Cute Frog of the Week: August 22, 2011

What is more romantic than the light of a full moon glinting off of fresh raindrops resting on the lush foliage of the rainforest? Well, if you are the San Carlos tree frog (Dendropsophus phlebodes), soft moonlight is a complete turnoff. This gold frog, barely an inch long, with brown zigzagging lines, feels most amorous on cloudy nights after drenching rains.

Males form large choruses in the foliage above temporary ponds of water in Central America during the rainy season to serenade females. Their sweet song, which sounds like a low pulsing “creek” (download the ringtone below!), becomes more feverish as more males join. Males will synchronize their calls and add variations, known as click notes, to distinguish themselves from the crowd.

The moon is a total atmosphere-killer for the frogs. Their calling and breeding activity peaks about three days after a heavy rain, however, the appearance of the moon dampens the frogs’ singing. When the conditions are right females will lay up to 400 eggs in a pool of water in small groups after mating with a male. The eggs will float on the surface of the water and attach to plants sticking out of the water. The tadpoles hatch between August and October, and they stay in the shallow areas of the ponds until they mature.

Right now the IUCN considers the San Carlos tree frog to be of least concern, with a stable population. Localized threats, however, include deforestation for agricultural development, logging, human settlement and pollution.

Photo by Brian Kubicki, Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center.

Banded horned tree frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus) ALL-NEW frog ringtones: Download the San Carlos tree frog’s call!

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

Smooth as glass—or not.

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Granular glass frog (Cochranella granulosa)

Granular glass frog (Cochranella granulosa)

Cute Frog of the Week: August 15, 2011

This little frog is not chilly, and those are not goose bumps all over its smooth—almost translucent—skin. Those bumps are how the granular glass frog received its scientific namesake: Cochranella granulosa. Its polka-dotted skin has a granulated texture. In fact, the granular glass frog does not live in a cold environment at all. It lives in a sticky, humid environment in the lowlands of Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras.

The frog lives in the foliage above fast-flowing streams and is nocturnal. When a male emerges from his day-long slumber, he sounds his call all night long. Females lay eggs covered in a jelly in clutches of 40 to 60 eggs above water. The eggs hang precariously over the edge of a leaf, but they are placed there purposely so. Although the eggs are not laid in water, they need a constant source of water. By hanging over the edge of a leaf they create a “drip tip,” which ensures that water that collects on the leaf will flow in a stream over them.

The IUCN currently considers these cuties to be of least concern, so their survival is smooth.

Photo by Kristen Martyn, Natura Tours Inc.

Banded horned tree frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus) ALL-NEW frog ringtones: Download the granular glass frog’s call!

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

Vanishing act.

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Cinchona plantation tree frog (Isthmohyla rivularis)

Cinchona plantation tree frog (Isthmohyla rivularis)

Cute Frog of the Week: August 8, 2011

It is very rare that a frog is thought to be extinct only to be once again discovered years after hope for the survival of the species had evaporated. The Cinchona plantation tree frog (Isthmohyla rivularis) performed its great disappearing act in Costa Rica. It could no longer be found in its rainforest habitat in Monteverde by 1989 and Las Tablas by 1993. In 2008, scientists unexpectedly found several males and a female; and with that the cinchona plantation tree frog had seemingly magically reappeared.

It is no wonder such a long time passed between sightings. These tiny golden brown frogs hide themselves among the dense vegetation around and in fast-flowing rainforest streams. Males only give hints to their whereabouts at night when they call from vegetation around the water. The Cinchona plantation tree frog is not only difficult to find, but many of its behaviors are also mysterious. Two of the frogs have never been observed mating in the wild, nor have eggs ever been found in the wild—only tadpoles.

Photo by Andreas Hertz via ARKive.

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

The mustachioed frog.

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Bright eyed frog (Boophis albilabris)

White-lipped bright eyed frog (Boophis albilabris)

Cute Frog of the Week: August 1, 2011

This red-eyed frog looks like it should be in a “got milk?” advertisement with its identifying white line above its upper lip, much like a milk mustache. While the white-lipped bright eyed frog (Boophis albilabris) may not be mighty in size at 3 inches long, it is fairly large in numbers. It is common in its home range of Madagascar where it generally lives near freshwater streams in rainforests.

Males call from their perches in trees above the streams to attract females during the breeding season. The breeding season is a frenzy of egg-laying activity. The bright-eyed frog can easily lay up to 400 eggs in a stream—or even in a trickle of water! Although IUCN considers this species to be of least concern, habitat loss and fragmentation are contributing to a population decline.

Photo by Gonçalo M. Rosa via ARKive.

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

I’ve got a resume that’ll make you jealous.

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Pepper tree frog (Trachycephalus venulosus)

Pepper tree frog (Trachycephalus venulosus)

Cute Frog of the Week: July 25, 2011

Unlike many specialized species that inhabit Panama, the pepper tree frog can live just about anywhere (and does) and expands the boundary of frog behavior. Listed all together, its attributes make for a compelling resume. If we start reading at the top of the list, we find out that it lives from Argentina’s savannahs to Mexico’s forest fragments, from Brazil’s Amazon rain forest to Colombia’s dry forest, and almost everywhere in between. It is as comfortable in the low coastal canopies as it is in tall trees 1.6 kilometers above sea level. Further down its resume, we come to learn about its swimming trick, in which it uses inflatable vocal sacks to float in shallow pools while calling for a mate. And a bit more impressive: it is a skilled parachutist, capable of gliding, not strictly falling, from canopy branches to the forest floor. The tadpole’s large gills and lungs are the evolutionary result of adapting to oxygen-depleted and warm small pools of water. Last but not least, we get to the trademark attribute. Its skin glands secrete sticky, noxious, and water-insoluble mucus at potential predators. Herpetologists (who wrote the list) have witnessed snakes recoiling from the stuff. In addition, its insolubility helps the frog’s porous skin remain moist during the dry season. Having reached the bottom of the long list, we come to realize just how deep and varied its resume is for a tree frog. Maybe adaptability explains its healthy global population. But why the “pepper” tree frog? The answer: its irritating mucus allegedly makes you sneeze as pepper does (according to reports in Belize).

Photo by John Clare.

Banded horned tree frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus)

 


ALL-NEW frog ringtones: Download the pepper tree frog’s call!

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

Stirred, not shaken…

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Olive striped frog (Phlyctimantis leonardi)

Olive striped frog (Phlyctimantis leonardi)

Cute Frog of the Week: July 18, 2011

Though what is visible here isn’t reminiscent of the popular martini garnish, this does not mean the olive striped frog isn’t incredibly stylish and suave in its own right. This frog is native to the Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Males range from 45 to 59 millimeters long, but while this frog isn’t the most physically intimidating contender in the amphibian ring, its call makes up for its somewhat diminutive size. Researchers have observed male olive striped frogs calling from bushes approximately 1 to 2.5 meters above the flooded grasslands where these frogs mate. Scientists believe they live in secondary forests and heavily degraded former forests, moving to more open areas like the grasslands to attract potential mates with greater visibility and volume.  According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the olive striped frog is a species of least concern, meaning that while these frogs might be geographically constricted, they currently have few other threats shaking up their status.

Photo by Brian Gratwicke, Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project.

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

Bright-eyed beauty.

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Bright-eyed frog (Boophis calcaratus)

Bright-eyed frog (Boophis calcaratus)

Cute Frog of the Week: July 11, 2011

The quiet that falls over forests in eastern Madagascar with the arrival of night is interrupted by the bright-eyed frog (Boophis calcaratus). This tiny nocturnal frog sounds its calls from its perch in the branches on the outskirts of forests and degraded rainforests. Not all of their time is spent hanging around in the trees, however. They can also be found on the ground, usually near pools of freshwater.

Since this frog is most active from sunset to sunrise, it can be difficult to see with its brown spots and banding. A little light would illuminate how the frog got its name: its eyes. Its large pupils are surrounded by vivid irises. Scientists are not sure why the frogs have such colorful blue-green irises, but they do know that frog species within the Boophis genus can be identified by their eye color, in addition to their calls.

Photo by Gonçalo M. Rosa via ARKive.

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

The great awakening.

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Appenine yellow-bellied toad (Bombina pachypus)

Apennine yellow-bellied toad (Bombina pachypus)

Cute Frog of the Week: July 4, 2011

From the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula to the Apennine region, just south of the Po River Valley, spring signals the awakening of the Apennine yellow-bellied toad (Bambina pachypus) from its long hibernation. This brown spotted toad, with a brightly colored underbelly, wastes no time after coming out of its deep sleep and begins breeding. From May to September the toad will breed multiple times and females will lay clutches of a few eggs to a few dozen eggs in temporary pools of freshwater. Males are ever-ready for the marathon breeding season. They use sperm their bodies produced for the previous breeding season to fertilize eggs early in the breeding season, while new sperm develops to use for later on in the current season. The Apennine yellow-bellied toad will go through this process many times as it can live for up to 16 years in the wild. The average lifespan for the toad is generally half that. It does not reach sexual maturity until it is three years.

The toad’s odd coloring on its underbelly—black and white with large spots of yellow—serves a very distinct purpose. It is a warning to predators that the Apennine yellow-bellied toad is poisonous and not to be messed with.  It secretes a toxic substance when it is threatened. The substance is not all bad; it is also antimicrobial and antifungal.

Photo by Giacomo Radi via ARKive.

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

Am I your prince?

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Vaillant’s frog (Rana vaillanti)

Vaillant’s frog (Rana vaillanti)

Cute Frog of the Week: June 27, 2011

The next time the princess in a tropically set Pixar fairytale wants to liberate her prince by kissing a frog, she would be wise to seek out the 3.5-inch-long individual, not its larger 5-inch-long counterpart. Like many neotropical species, Vaillant’s frog showcases sexual dimorphism and dichromatism. For example, females are generally larger than males, but males are livelier in color. They sport vivid green while the fairer sex is happy in a subdued gray-brown. The princess might choose Vaillant’s frog because it fits the popularized conception of a frog. Large, stocky, and rugged-looking, it lives a semi-aquatic life, floating and resting on the surface of ponds. Between dense mats of floating vegetation, only its rounded black eyes and green head emerge from the water. On shore, it sits and waits for a passing insect for its meal. But it will also go for fish or birds—a fact that gives you a better sense of its relative size. On land, it expends a lot of energy trying to evade a host of frog-eating neotropical snakes (for example, the Mexican snake eater, Clelia scytalina). If it does run into one, Vaillant’s frog makes a mad dash towards the safety of water, diving headfirst. Next stop: the bottom of the lake, where it lays quietly until the danger has passed.

Vaillant’s frog is found in Costa Rica and Panama and tolerates a wide range of habitat types and human encroachment and alteration. Its population is stable, but pesticide use, primarily from aerial spraying, will threaten it in the future. The chemicals find their way and stay in the water.

Photo by Brian Kubicki, Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center.

Banded horned tree frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus) ALL-NEW frog ringtones: Download the vaillant’s frog’s call!

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/

Sneak attack!

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Chacoan horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)
Chacoan horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Cute Frog of the Week: June 20, 2011

The Chacoan horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli) looks like it is more mouth than frog. Such a large mouth on such a little frog earned it the nickname Pacman frog, from the popular video game. The Chacoan horned frog’s oversized mouth conceals something a little more treacherous—teeth. A row of sharp teeth protruding from the upper jaw come in handy when they are ambushing their prey. This frog seeks out hiding places, usually holes, along the forest floor in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay that complement its green and black or brown and black coloring. It nestles itself in its hiding places and waits, motionless, for a meal to wander in front of it. It strikes, lunging out of its hole suddenly, sinking its teeth into its prey. This frog is not a picky eater. Much of its diet can be made up of other frogs. It is capable of swallowing an animal half of its size and has even been known to attack animals larger than itself. Chacoan horned frogs can grow as large as 15cm and weigh half a kilogram. They can sometimes bite off more than they can chew, and can choke on prey that is too large to swallow.

The Chacoan horned frog’s predatory behavior starts at a young age. Tadpoles are cannibalistic and start eating each other after they hatch from their eggs, which are laid in clumps at the bottom of fresh water ponds. During the breeding season, the frogs lay all of their eggs with the first heavy rain of the year.

The frog has a bad reputation among local human populations, but not one that is warranted. Some incorrectly believe that the frog is venomous. However, this fat little frog has no venom, despite what its bright colors may suggest.

Photo courtesy of: The Houston Zoo

Every week the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project posts a new photo of a cute frog from anywhere in the world with an interesting, fun and unique story to tell. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest addition.

Send us your own cute frogs by uploading your photos here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutefrogoftheweek/