Red-Eyed Tree Frog
By: Danny
In the Tropical Rainforests of Costa Rica, you might be surprised of how many Red-Eyed Tree Frogs you will find jumping around.You can probably tell by the name, the frog has red eyes, but what does it use them for? You will find out. Now, let’s jump straight into this jumpy topic.
Physical Characteristics
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog is a very agile, arboreal, (lives in trees) Amphibian.The scientific name for a Red-Eyed Tree Frog is Agalychnis Callidryas, which means beautiful tree nymph.The frog is the second smallest species of 4 tree frogs.The frog has smooth, neon green skin with a white, blue, and yellow belly. The frogs can weigh from 0.21 ounces to 0.53 ounces. The frog has startling red eyes to scare away predators. The frog’s length depends on the gender. Males can be 2-2.5 inches long, while females can be 2.5-3 inches long. They are excellent climbers and have sticky feet to hang on to trees.They are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. Though they have bright colors, they are not venomous or poisonous.
Habitat
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog lives in the tropical rainforests and lowlands of Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. The frog can only survive in the rainforest because the climate that they need is hot and wet, and that is what a rainforests climate is. The frog is arboreal, which means it spends most or all of it’s time in trees. The frog is not endangered, though their habitat is shrinking rapidly.
Diet
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog is a carnivore. It is the secondary consumer in it's particular food chain. It's diet consists of crickets,flies,grasshoppers,moths,and even smaller frogs. It shoots out its long, sticky tongue to catch prey. The frogs will eat as much as 2-3 crickets per day. Their predators include Bats, Snakes, Birds, Owls, Tarantulas, and small Alligators. The frog’s bright colors will confuse a predator long enough for the frog to get away. If the frog is sleeping, it will suddenly awake and it’s red eyes will startle a predator to give the frog a moment to jump away. It will also use camouflage to hide from predators.
YoungA Red-Eyed Tree Frog’s young are born from eggs. The female lays up to 1000 eggs on the bottom of a leaf that is hanging over the water so when the tadpoles (baby frogs) hatch, they will fall right into the water to grow until they are ready to live in trees. The tadpoles eat fruit flies and pinhead crickets. The tadpoles are a brown or black ball with a small tail. The change from a tadpole to a frog takes 3 weeks to 4 months.
Fun Facts
The related species to the Red-Eyed Tree Frog are the Common Tree Frog, Cuban Tree Frog, and the European Tree Frog. The lifespan of a Red-Eyed Tree Frog is 5 years. The group name for a Red-Eyed Tree Frog is an army. The Red-Eyed Tree Frog is also called the Red-Eyed Leaf Frog. The Red-Eyed Tree Frog is the reason why rainforests are protected.
I hope you liked this report on Red-Eyed Tree Frogs.
Bibliography
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/red-eyed-tree-frog/
http://www.funzoomiami.org/Regions/SouthAmerica/Animals/Amphibians/Red-eyed-Tree-Frog#
