Category Archives: Cute Frog of the Week

Play Hide-and-Seek? Gopher it!

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Gopher frog (Lithobates capito)

Gopher frog (Lithobates capito)

Cute Frog of the Week: Nov. 7, 2011

This reclusive nocturnal frog tends to be very shy, and likes to live in holes, burrows and tunnels during the day. It does not dig its own tunnels, but rather utilizes those that have been dug by other animals, most often gopher tortoises.

This frog is short and stubby in appearance, with dark spots covering its body.  The gopher frog also has two very prominent ridges along the side of its back, one on each side, starting from behind the eyes.

Native to the United States, this species can be found along coastal plains from the southern half of North Carolina to southern Florida and west toward Alabama. It is unclear just how fast their numbers are declining because they are so reclusive and hard to find in general, but they are listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This is due to extensive habitat loss, which they do not adapt well to, caused mainly by agricultural, residential and commercial development, as well as the timber industry. Other threats include fire suppression and peat build-up, which increases acidity levels in the water; introduction of predatory fish into breeding ponds; and the declining population of gopher tortoises whose burrows are most often used by these frogs.

Photo by Kelly Jones 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/

Boo-frog!

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Forest rain frog (Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus)

Forest rain frog (Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus)

Cute Frog of the Week: Oct. 31, 2011

If you were to go poking around the forest of Limpopo Province in South Africa on Halloween, you may get spooked by one of its amphibian residents. The forest rain frog (Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus) looks like it is always ready for trick-or-treating with its bright orange and black skin, and dark eyes. Luckily, there is no reason to be afraid of this rotund frog. It sticks strictly to haunting forests, or areas very close to forests, where it breeds in chambers underground.

Females can give the illusion of being buried alive, guarding their eggs in underground nests. The nests are sometimes hidden beneath rocks, making them sound more like graves. However, they are actually dens of life. Eggs laid in them skip the tadpole stage and develop directly into miniature orange and black froglets—which is the best trick of all for this frog. In fact, the life-cycle of the rain frog is so divorced from water that these strange creatures cannot even swim, and their hind legs are so poorly developed that they cannot jump like other frogs. Their dependence on humus-rich soils means that they are probably vulnerable to habitat degradation, but they spend so little time on the surface that their population status often remains a mystery.

Happy Halloween!

Photo by Sebastian Kirchhof 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/

Through the looking glass…

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Cricket glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium colymbiphyllum)

Cricket glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium colymbiphyllum)

Cute Frog of the Week: Oct. 24, 2011

People often see the glass as half empty or half full, but this adorable little frog is clearly full…of cuteness! Living up to their name, adult cricket glass frogs chirp like crickets and have a lack of pigment in their skin that makes their abdomen appear as transparent as a window. Yes, by looking at them from the bottom, you can see their organs as if peering through a pane of glass. The rest of their bodies are more opaque, and lime-green in color with small yellowish dots, while the undersides of their arms and legs are white. These frogs also have prominent snouts and golden eyes that protrude from their faces.

Only the male frogs chirp, which sounds like the similar “brrrreeet” of a cricket, as they call to females. The males are very territorial, often wrestling with an intruder who threatens their turf, and whoever pins the other down is the victor and gains control of the spot. They are especially territorial during the entire duration of the breeding season from May to November, when they perch on the undersides of leaves in the same spots day after day, mainly along streams. The males often breed with multiple females but he will guard the eggs that they lay on his perch, although only at night. During the day, many get carried away by wasps and other predators, until he returns in the evening.

Cricket glass frogs have only been found in Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia. Although their habitats are threatened by deforestation, etc. this species is generally common and they are not considered endangered.

Photo by Brian Kubicki, Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center.

Banded horned tree frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus) ALL-NEW frog ringtones: Download the cricket 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/

Unlike Pinocchio, I don’t lie.

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Cuban long-nosed toad (Peltophryne longinasus)--Ariel Rodriguez
Cuban long-nosed toad (Peltophryne longinasus)

Cute Frog of the Week: Oct. 17, 2011

Cuban long-nosed toads (Bufo longinasus) are hard to come by. They are confined to three disparate areas of Cuba— Pinar del Province on the west end of Cuba, Sierra de Trinidad in the center and Sierra del Guaso in the east end. Nobody has actually seen a Cuban long-nosed toad in Sierra del Guaso, however, since the early 1900s.

Unfortunately, Cuban long-nosed toads have only ever been observed in forests, and always close to streams, placing them directly in the way of Cuba’s clear-cutting of forests, charcoaling, fires and agricultural expansion. They are considered endangered by the IUCN.

Cuban long-nosed toads are found in upland pinewoods and broadleaf forests of moderate moisture.  These toads are terrestrial by day, but researchers believe they move up into the trees after the sun sets, perhaps to escape predators. While the toad here is posing on a rock, males have also been observed calling while floating on the surface of the water of streams!

Photo by Ariel Rodriguez 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/

Strength and honor!

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Gladitator frog (Hypsiboas rosenbergi)

Gladitator frog (Hypsiboas rosenbergi)

Cute Frog of the Week: Oct. 10, 2011

This incredible image is the winner of our Golden Frog Day photo contest. Congratulations to Harold Henry, who took this great photo of the gladiator frog. Nice work!

Gladiator frogs are aptly named. Males are known for their aggressive behavior toward one another both during mating season and while guarding clutches of eggs. In fact, males even have a small, sharp spike on each hand that grows out of their wrist by the base of their thumbs. They use this as tiny daggers while fighting, and they have been seen tearing at each other with them, often causing significant damage or death. The eyes and face are the easiest, most common targets, and many individuals bear battle scars.

The male frogs are nest-builders, either digging out small clay or sand basins on the edges of streams or ponds, or utilizing natural ones, such as footprints, where the female will lay her eggs. Some researchers believe this is the cause of the aggression—they compete to this extent because of the small size of available breeding areas. Males will even return to nest sites and guard the eggs until tadpoles have hatched. Interestingly, biologists have noticed that this fighting behavior was only prevalent in populations in Panama, but was not seen in Costa Rica, where there were larger areas for nest-building and egg-laying available. These frogs are most commonly found in Costa Rica and Panama, where their populations are decreasing, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Photo by Harold Henry.

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/

Cute and inventive.

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Giant burrowing frog (Heleioporus australiacus)--Frank Lemckert
Giant burrowing frog (Heleioporus australiacus)

Cute Frog of the Week: Oct. 3, 2011

Despite its appearance, the giant burrowing frog (Heleioporus australiacus) is not a Hutt crime lord trying wreak havoc on Luke Skywalker’s life. Instead, this funny looking cutie is spends its time burrowing and calling to potential mates from partially flooded burrows at the banks of rivers. It also calls sometimes while hidden beneath dense vegetation. It’s not as large as its name may imply, but three and a half inches long is nothing to scoff at.

The giant burrowing frog is primarily restricted to southeastern Australia, residing in the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, a region also known as the Sydney Basin.  They exist primarily in montane sclerophyll woodland, montane riparian woodland, and wet, damp and dry sclerophyll forests.  These frogs are well-adapted to Australia’s often unforgiving climates, laying their eggs in ephemeral pools, or permanent pools, if they exist.

These frogs are listed as vulnerable, and face a number of challenges in their mountainous environment.  Intensive timber harvesting, fox and cat predation, cattle grazing and invasive terrestrial and aquatic predators are just a few of the trials confronting these amphibians. Unfortunately, chytrid was also detected in this species, specifically in Springwood, New South Wales. Giant burrowing frogs are, however, protected by state legislation and are the subject of two major studies in New South Wales, so they hopefully will survive and not be consigned to a galaxy far, far away any time soon.

Photo by Frank Lemckert 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/

Dressing the part.

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Masked tree frog (Smilisca phaeota)--John Dubicki (Flickr)
Masked tree frog (Smilisca phaeota)

Cute Frog of the Week: Sept. 26, 2011

The masked tree frog (Smilisca phaeota) is fond of costume changes. This three-inch frog is generally active at night during the wet season when males woo females with their calls, and it sleeps during the day atop large leaves of ferns. In preparation for its moonlit adventures, the frog changes the color of its back from tan to green.

Its stage is decorated with scenery from the humid lowland forests of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and northern Colombia where it can be found in shallow temporary pools of water. Like any true performer, it is not disturbed by drastically different scenery, and it can even be found in open country. Females lay their eggs in puddles of water which accumulate, covering the top of the water with a film of 2,000 eggs. Tadpoles develop quickly in the temporary pools and puddles, which are sometimes no more than a cattle footprint filled with water.

As a result of its adaptability, the population of masked tree frogs in the wild is considered stable by the IUCN.

Photo by John Dubicki via Flickr.

Banded horned tree frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus) ALL-NEW frog ringtones: Download the masked 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/

Inflated confidence.

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Cuban spotted toad (Peltophryne taladai)--Ariel Rodriguez
Cuban spotted toad (Peltophryne taladai)

Cute Frog of the Week: Sept. 19, 2011

This Cuban spotted toad (Peltophryne taladai) looks like it’s carrying a little extra weight around its tummy, but don’t fret, it does not need to go on a diet. A little extra volume can come in handy! When the Cuban spotted toad is threatened by a predator, it inflates itself to a most unappetizing size. The toad, which is normally between five and six inches long, becomes so enlarged no predator would be able to swallow it.

However, this toad attempts to avoid encounters with predators during the day by hiding under rocks and in holes it digs itself. It is most active at night when males call from shallow creeks, streams or from rocks. Their calls are quite raucous as they come together to form choruses.

Eggs are laid in very shallow areas of permanent streams and creeks, often in as little as five centimeters of water. Strings of eggs are attached to the roots of plants growing in at the edges of streams and creeks.

According to the IUCN, the Cuban spotted toad is a vulnerable species, with its population decreasing as the result of intensive agriculture, charcoaling and nickel mining.

Photo by Ariel Rodriguez 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/

Be very, very quiet. I’m hunting…whatever I can catch.

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Australian Lace-lid (Litoria dayi)
Australian Lace-lid (Litoria dayi)

Cute Frog of the Week: September 5, 2011

The Australian lace-lid, Litoria dayi, is a frog that goes out on a limb, in more ways than one. This frog is the only member of its genus that lives in Australia and researchers are still collecting information about their threats. The species is listed as endangered by the IUCN.

These frogs are indiscriminate of their prey, consuming both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and their large eyes help them to be efficient nocturnal predators, catching a variety of cockroaches, flies, spiders and beetles. Confined to a small region of northeastern Australia, the Australian lace-lid grows to about 50 millimeters.  It is a rainforest specialist, associated with montane rainforests and fast-flowing creeks.  Males can be very territorial, possibly to help them attract mates, as no males have ever been found calling in a group or within 1 meter of another male’s territory.

This frog once inhabited an area that has since been populated more prominently by invasive feral pigs, which destroy the tropical shrubbery and growth this frog uses to hide. Although these pigs degrade the lace-lid’s habitats, it is unclear whether they are contributing to killing the frog. Researchers believe that continued exposure to cold, dry temperatures (possible at high elevations such as those the frog inhabits) decrease the frog’s activity and the chances of successful reproduction. They also believe that Australian lace-lids have been affected by the global spread of chytrid, even in their isolated mountain rainforests.

Photo by Jodi Rowley 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/

Setting the world afire.

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Oriental fire-bellied toad (Bombina orientalis)
Oriental fire-bellied toad (Bombina orientalis)

Cute Frog of the Week: August 29, 2011

If this amphibian appears familiar to you, it’s probably because it is! You probably don’t recognize it from the pond down the road or the local forest, but from pet stores or even terrariums. The oriental fire-bellied toad has become a common fixture in pet stores across the world, but they are native to western areas of both China and Russia. But this toad has a surprise: despite the warts and bumps, it’s not considered a true toad! It is not part of the Bufonidae (or true toad) family and displays more aquatic behavior than the terrestrial toad.

This toad is listed as a species of least concern, possibly because it is resourceful on the whole. Oriental fire-bellied toads are known as an opportunistic species, commonly sharing close borders with human populations and are often found in agricultural areas or villages. Another reason these amphibians might be so successful is the wide variety in their diet. While they consume worms, mollusks, insects and a variety of aquatic invertebrates as adults, tadpoles and juveniles consume detritus, algae, fungi, plants and numerous small invertebrates.

Oriental fire-bellied toads also live in a diverse range of habitats, especially in broad-leafed coniferous forests. They have been observed living in open meadows, river valleys and swampy bushlands, and more often than not, floating suspended close to the water’s surface.

Photo by Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National 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/