Merry as a cricket…frog.

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Lindsay

Northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans)

Cute Frog of the Week: April 15, 2012

Talk about a frog that can’t seem to make up its mind! The Northern cricket frog looks like a toad and sounds like a bird, though it is really a tree frog that prefers living near lakes.

One of the smallest of North America’s vertebrates, these tiny frogs usually range from 0.75 inches to 1.5 inches in length. Their color patterns vary from browns to grays to greens, often in irregular blotchy patterns, and there is often a darker triangular mark on the back of their heads. They also tend to have bands of darker pigment on their legs, a lighter band that runs from the eye to the base of the foreleg, and sometimes a slightly lighter band of color that is present down the spine. Due to their size and camouflage, it is not easy to spot these guys!

Because of the bumpy, “warty” texture of their skin, these frogs are often mistaken for toads by those who manage to spot them. However, they are not—they do not have parotid glands near the back of their heads, which can secrete toxic substances and are common to toads. In addition, even though they are tree frogs, they do not have enlarged toe pads to help them climb. This may be one of the reasons that these so-called ‘tree frogs’ don’t actually spend much time in the trees.

Northern cricket frogs are diurnal and active throughout much of the year except for when it is so cold that the water freezes. They are most commonly found in the eastern half of the United States, and tend to be heard most during mating season from late April to late July or early August. Their call is a sharp “glick-glick-glick” similar to that of many small birds and described as two glass marbles being struck together. They also migrate each spring and autumn through several different types of habitats, but little is known about this behavior.

Being a small prey species, their main defense strategy is to swim or hop away from danger as fast as possible, and despite their small size, they have been seen to leap more than 6 feet in a single jump. That’s equivalent to an average 6 foot-tall human jumping 288 feet in a single bound! They have also been seen to make a series of smaller jumps in a zigzag to throw off predators before diving underwater.

These frogs prefer to live along the banks of slow moving bodies of water, such as lakes or ponds as opposed to in trees, though they can be found in lower vegetation as well. They hibernate upland, away from icy water when the weather gets very cold. Northern cricket frogs are considered endangered in Minnesota and Wisconsin, threatened in New York, and as a species of special concern in Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia.

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.

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Do not disturb.

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Lindsay

Sachatamia (Sachatamia punctulata)

Cute Frog of the Week: April 9, 2012

Or, at least, do not disturb the sachatamia’s (Sachatamia punctulata) habitat. That’s because this Colombian frog is picky about where it lays its eggs: only in gallery forest on leaves that overhang water. Once they hatch, the tadpoles drop from that perch into the water to finish growing up. This means that habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly due to agriculture, are an important threat to this frog. Currently, none of its habitat is protected. It is also vulnerable to small white flies that lay their eggs within sachatamia eggs.

Photo by Victor Fabio Luna-Mora via Arkive.

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Maybe hoppin’ and glidin’.

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Lindsay

Fringe-limbed tree frog (Ecnomiohyla fimbrimembra)

Cute Frog of the Week: April 2, 2012

The fringe-limbed tree frog is an extremely rare find, and therefore not much is known about this elusive species. These frogs live high in the canopy and are often overlooked. For this reason, it is difficult to conduct proper population counts, though they are considered endangered.

The prominent feature of these frogs is the dermal fringes between their fingers and toes. Scientists believe that this webbing can act like a parachute or glider wings when the frogs extend their fingers and toes outward, which would allow them to do just that— hop and glide from tree limb to tree limb. However, though this behavior has been observed in other related species, these particular guys have never been seen doing so. The frogs also have sticky disks at the tips of their fingers.

Based on individuals that have been found, this species’ coloration can range from lavender-brown, yellowish-white, brownish-tan, to green.

Native to Costa Rica and Panama, these frogs are nocturnal and from what researchers currently know, prefer living in humid premontane and lower montane forests. Being that these frogs spend most of their lives in the upper canopy, breeding, egg-laying and juvenile development occurs in tree-holes.

The main threats to these frogs are general habitat loss due to deforestation primarily for development and livestock ranching.

Photo by Andreas Hertz via ARKive.

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Heard, not seen.

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Lindsay

Volcan barba tree frog (Isthmohyla picadoi)

Cute Frog of the Week: March 12, 2012

If you’re very lucky visiting the mountain forests of Panama or Costa Rica, you may hear the call of a Volcan barba treefrog (Isthmohyla picadoi), but you almost certainly will not catch sight of it. This frog has reason to be shy—while it is relatively safe in Costa Rica, deforestation for farming and timber is destroying its home. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers them near threatened. Scientists are hoping that because these frogs are found in a variety of types of forest, they may have a leg up in coping with habitat degradation.

Photo by Andreas Hertz via ARKive.

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A leap of faith?

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Lindsay

Misfit leaf frog (Agalychnis saltator)

Cute Frog of the Week: March 5, 2012

Just like you get dressed in the morning, the parachuting red-eyed leaf frog or misfit leaf frog (Agalychnis saltator) changes from its nighttime tan or brown to its daytime bright green. But that isn’t the only trick this little guy has up its sleeve. These frogs have lots of webbing between their fingers and toes, and during breeding season males make large leaps with this webbing splayed wide to act as small parachutes.

These little misfits, who live in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, lay their eggs on the moss that covers tree vines during the rainy season. Unfortunately, this makes the eggs particularly vulnerable to becoming a snack for ants and snakes. The frogs that do make it to adulthood, however, are plentiful enough to make this species not at risk of extinction.

Photo by Joe Milmoe, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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No rainy day blues here.

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Lindsay

Common Chinese frog (Hyla chinensis)

Cute Frog of the Week: February 27, 2012

You’ll never catch a Chinese tree frog (Hyla chinensis) singing “Rain, rain, go away.” Found in eastern China and Taiwan, these little guys live in shrubs and rice paddies, often in small groups. They are common during the rainy season, but they can be tricky to spot once the weather gets drier. Chinese tree toads only lay their eggs after a rainy April or May evening. Although they could suffer from habitat loss and degradation, their population is currently stable and they benefit from living in several protected areas.

Photo by Tzu-lun Hung via ARKive.

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Nothing but blue skies.

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Lindsay

Powder blue reed frog (Heterixalus madagasariensis)

Cute Frog of the Week: February 20, 2012

It’s pretty evident that this frog is quite a stunning find. Native to Madagascar, the powder blue reed frog’s color varies from tan to light blue on their backs, and they often appear whitish in bright sunlight. Their abdomens are a very pale whitish-yellow, while the undersides of their limbs are orange. A dark band sits between the eye and snout.

Fairly common, these semi-arboreal frogs prefer to live in a variety of areas ranging from drier sandy lowland dunes/forests and along rainforest edges, to deforested areas around croplands, villages and more urban habitats along the eastern coast of the island.

These are small and agile frogs that can jump over a large distance, though they tend to sleep for most of the day among vegetation.

Photo by Gonçalo M. Rosa via ARKive.

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You say “tomato;” I say “Wait! Don’t eat me!”

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Lindsay

Tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii)

Cute Frog of the Week: February 13, 2012

It’s easy to see how the tomato frog got its name, considering its eye-catching coloration and relatively large size. Males tend to be yellow-orange in color and grow to around 2.3 – 2.6 inches in length, while females are a brighter orange-red and can grow to be around 3.3 – 4.2 inches in length.

Originally from Madagascar, these frogs are a favorite of tourists and locals alike, especially in the town of Maroantsetra. Here, they inhabit gardens, ponds and ditches. The locals refer to their low-pitched call as the onomatopoetic word “sangongon,” with the word spoken aloud sounding similar to the actual call itself.

But don’t try to pick one up! These frogs are known for their sticky skin secretions that they can release when frightened. This substance gets into a potential predator’s eyes and mouth, making it very difficult to hold onto and eat the frog. It also contains a toxin that can cause skin irritation in humans. In addition to secreting yucky goop, these frogs puff themselves up when a predator comes around to make themselves even more difficult to hold onto and swallow.

This species has been listed as near-threatened since 2002 since it lives in a relatively small area, but adapts well to disturbed habitats. Pollution and pesticide use are potential threats, as well as people harvesting and collecting them for trade, which they are no longer allowed to do. Now, most tomato frogs kept as pets by experienced enthusiasts were bred in captivity.

Photo by Gonçalo M. Rosa via ARKive.

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Whistle while you work.

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Lindsay

Johnstone's whistling frog (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei)

Cute Frog of the Week: February 6, 2012

Named after Robert S. Johnstone, the Chief Justice of Grenada who helped aid in the collection of the first specimens in the early 20^th century, the Johnstone’s whistling frog is the most widely distributed frog in the eastern Caribbean.

Small and non-distinct, these cute little guys are dull brownish-tan to grayish in color. Their eyes are golden-brown, and they have slightly darker ‘V’-shaped markings, also known as chevrons, on their shoulders. Sometimes these frogs will also have a pair of darker dorsal stripes that run down their backs. Their legs have a darker blotchy or marbled pattern, and their fingers and toes are not webbed, but do have relatively large adhesive disks to help them climb. Males are also generally smaller than females.

Johnstone’s whistling frogs mate from around June to August, and the male’s whistling call has two notes: a quick lower note that rises sharply to a longer higher note. Parents will then guard the clutches of eggs that are laid for about 14 days before they hatch. Offspring mature via direct development within the egg, skipping the tadpole phase and emerge as tiny versions of the adults.

These frogs can be found on most of the Lesser Antillean islands in the Caribbean, including Anguilla, Barbados, Montserrat and St Lucia. They have also recently been introduced to Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama and Venezuela as stowaways on boats that travel to the different islands. They are not endangered and are highly adaptable to changing environments. So adaptable in places, that they may be becoming invasive and pushing native frogs out. Further research is needed to verify this, however.

Photo by Jeroen Wisman via Flickr.

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Is that a leaf? Look closely!

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Lindsay

Leaf litter toad (Rhaebo haematiticus)

Cute Frog of the Week: January 30, 2012

Can you be-leaf that this is a frog? If you don’t look closely, you might just miss the litter frog if you come across it in the forest. Even though it is relatively large in size, with females that can grow up to 3 inches in length, it practically disappears among leaf litter and tree bark. This ‘dead leaf’ pattern on its back is excellent camouflage and is most often brown or purplish in color with darker blackish and lighter yellow-orange blotches. Their toes are also webbed, but their fingers are not.

These frogs range from eastern Honduras and Costa Rica to Columbia and northwestern Ecuador. In general, these frogs are most commonly seen in Costa Rica, though their population fluctuates and their overall numbers seem to be decreasing.

Litter frogs are nocturnal and live in either tropical forests or humid, moist woodland areas along streams or rivers. They breed during the wet seasons from March to July, and prefer to do so in rocky freshwater pools along the edges of streams where their twilight chorus could easily be mistaken for birdsong. Once the breeding season is over, they often move elsewhere to slightly drier areas.

The main threats to this species are habitat degradation and destruction due to agriculture, wood extraction and cattle ranching. The species is locally threatened by dams in Venezuela and by oil pollution in Colombia. Chytrid fungus also seems to be affecting this species.

Photo by Brian Gratwicke, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

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

Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project

A project to save Panama's incredible frogs and salamanders

Category Archives: Cute Frog of the Week

Merry as a cricket…frog.

Do not disturb.

Maybe hoppin’ and glidin’.

Heard, not seen.

A leap of faith?

No rainy day blues here.

Nothing but blue skies.

You say “tomato;” I say “Wait! Don’t eat me!”

Whistle while you work.

Is that a leaf? Look closely!