Frogs can fly. Javanese copepod flying frog. Description of the giant flying frog

“Born to crawl - cannot fly” - this is clearly not about our hero of the note. Of course, real flight is possible only for birds, and all other animals (mammals, reptiles and amphibians) can only soar in the air, using all kinds of devices for this.

Javanese flying frog (lat. Rhacophorus reinwardti) (eng. Reinwardt's Flying Frog)

Here are some types of tree frogs that have acquired them. Thanks to the huge membranes on the hind and front legs, they can glide in the air for a distance of several tens of meters. The membrane area of ​​the Javan flying frog from the islands of Java and Sumatra can reach 19 square meters. cm.

But it's not the only frog that can fly. Many members of the copepod or copepod family are capable of this. We already wrote about one of them - this is Wallace's flying frog from the island of Borneo. In total, this family includes 231 species included in 10 genera. All of them live in tropical forests South-East Asia, in the Malay Archipelago, in Central and South Africa and also on the island of Madagascar. Almost all lead an arboreal lifestyle.

Our heroine lives in the mountainous regions of the islands of Sumatra and Java, in connection with which, in fact, she got her name.
Outwardly, it is very similar to that famous flying frog from the island of Borneo, but still has its own distinctive features. Firstly, the presence of a leathery keel along the ridge, and secondly, in adults, the membranes on the hind and fore legs do not have dark stripes or spots.

The length of adults does not exceed 7.5 centimeters. Females are larger than males. The body is slender, the legs are long. The color is bright - the back is painted in a rich green color, and the abdomen is bright yellow or orange. In juveniles, the membranes on the paws and axillary areas are covered with dark purple or blue spots, which disappear with age (sometimes barely noticeable spots remain between the 4th and 5th toes of the hind legs).

On the fingers there are special swellings that act as suction cups during landing on a vertical surface. An important role is also played by intercalary cartilage-shock absorbers between the last phalanxes of the fingers, which help to soften the landing.

Their larvae also have a slightly unusual structure. They have suction cups on the front half of the abdomen, just behind the mouth opening. The tadpoles themselves are very long and can almost reach the size of their parents. The length of the tail alone reaches 4.5 centimeters. Above and below it is covered with a wide leathery crest.

Java frogs can fall into a kind of hibernation.

Their breeding season lasts quite a long time - from January to August, but it reaches a special peak in the spring months - in March-April. After mating, the female moves closer to coastal plants. The place for laying eggs is chosen directly above the water, so that immediately after hatching the tadpoles are in the water. But before that, alone, and sometimes together with a partner, with the help of her paws, she whips up a special foamy substance, where she lays her eggs. There are about 60-70 eggs in a clutch.

Have you ever met, walking along the banks of our rivers and lakes, flying frogs? No, of course, and why do they need this skill? But if ordinary frogs can only dream of flying, then for the copepod frogs of Southeast Asia they are a real reality.

First time flying Java frogs(lat. Rhacophorus reinwardtii) saw Alfred Russel Wallace, a famous English naturalist and biologist who traveled to Malaysia for scientific purposes in the middle of the 19th century.

Having made a huge number of the most amazing discoveries, however, he was shocked by this miracle of nature, which one of his assistants brought him to show. It wasn't large sizes a tree frog, in which rather developed membranes were observed on the front and hind legs between the fingers. Russell's comrade claimed to have seen this frog literally fly off the tree.

By monitoring these amazing creatures, naturalists noticed that during the flight the frogs spread their fingers, thereby greatly increasing the surface of the membranes. In addition, they had an amazing ability to inflate like a balloon.

And thanks to special suction cups on inside paws, they not only deftly climbed trees, but also stuck to any, even the smoothest surface. Thus, tree frogs were able to glide perfectly in the air, jumping from one tree to another without any problems.

Flying frogs are the most prominent representatives family of copepod frogs (lat. Rhacophorus). They live exclusively in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Africa and Madagascar. Having a special skeletal structure that significantly distinguishes them from other representatives of the frog world, they are able to overcome ten-meter distances with the help of their amazing paws.

Most of the time these frogs spend on trees. Many of them produce offspring there, laying eggs in nests that they build from a special mucus secreted by females. Males, which are rather modest in size in relation to females, help knock down the mucus into a thick foam. tree frogs lead night image life and feed on various insects.

Among the representatives of copepod frogs, there are also those that live exclusively in water. webbed feet they serve as oars, with the help of which they move swiftly.

There are more than 4800 various kinds frogs that can be found all over the world.
The varied habitats in which these frogs live have given rise to the strange looking species that we can find today.
This list features ten of the most interesting and unusual frogs known to science today.

10 Brazilian Horned Frog

This amazing frog lives in the Amazon rainforest in South America. The Brazilian slingshot, Ceratophrys aurita, has a distinctive appearance compared to other amphibians. Evolution has done a good job of camouflaging this creature, making it look like a leaf so that the frog can blend in with the surroundings.

The frog can grow to a large size, and reach twenty centimeters in length. She buries herself in the leaves so that only her head is visible, and when someone from her menu walks by, she quickly grabs and eats them. This is a very aggressive animal and locals often wear tall leather boots to protect your legs from powerful bites. Despite their aggressive nature, some people keep these frogs as pets.

9 Helen's Flying Frog


This newly discovered frog was first recorded in January of this year, so there is almost no information about it. However, this frog is known to be able to fly using its huge webbed feet. The frog glides across the forest canopy South Vietnam hiding from predators. Females have patches of skin on their paws that look like a kind of wings that help them in flight. Their large paws help them attach themselves to tree branches after their flight is over. Helena's flying frog - Rhacophorus helenae is quite large in size, sometimes reaching ten centimeters in length.

It was discovered by an Australian scientist in Vietnam, near Saigon. The scientist named the frog after his mother. Biologists have been puzzled by the fact that such big frog, living so close to Saigon, has gone unnoticed for so long.

8. Variable Atelope (Harlequin Toad)


Variable Atelopus - Atelopus varius - is endemic to Costa Rica and over the past few years, due to the spread of the fungus and climate change, the population of this frog species has declined rapidly. On the this moment only one left isolated population. This species is now dangerously close to extinction.

7 Goliath Frog

Goliath frog - Conraua goliath - is the largest frog in the world. It can grow up to thirty-three centimeters in length, and its weight can reach three kilograms. The goliath frog is twice the size of the giant African bullfrog.

The creature is endemic West Africa. It feeds on crabs, small snakes and even other frogs. The Goliath frog does not make any sounds due to the lack of vocal glands. She has huge, powerful legs that allow her to jump long distances, up to three meters. Unfortunately, like many other frog species, the goliath frog is vulnerable to human activity such as hunting, deforestation and animal trade. These factors have already made this species of frog an endangered species.

6. Ovoviviparous Toad (Morogoro Tree Toad)


Endemic to the rainforests and grasslands of Tanzania, the ovoviviparous toad, Nectophrynoides Viviparus, has large glands on its body near the eyes and limbs. These glands come in all sorts of colors, including orange, gray, green, red, and white. The color of the gland usually contrasts with the rest of the frog's skin.

The eggs hatch while still inside the female, and are born as small but fully formed toads. This type of pregnancy is quite rare in amphibians.

5. Pebble Toad (Venezuela Pebble Toad)

The pebble toad usually lives in mountainous areas with large quantity steep slopes. In case of danger, such as the tarantula (one of the main predators that prey on this type of toad), it hides its head and limbs under its body, and then tenses its muscles. Thus, it forms a ball, and then rolls down from the nearest hill into a puddle or gap at its foot.

The pebble toad does not take any damage from rolling and bouncing because it is very light and its muscles are very strong. The frog uses this defense mechanism because rolling down is much faster for it than jumping, and it cannot jump long distances.

4. Licheny Paddlefoot or Mossy Frog (Vietnamese Mossy Frog)

The lichen paddlefish, Theloderma corticale, lives in the tropical forests and swamps of northern Vietnam. The frog got its name because of its distinctive camouflage pattern, which looks like moss and lichen. When predators approach, the frog hides its paws under itself so that only the mossy areas of its body are visible. This frog has large pads on its feet with which it stays in trees, and its diet consists entirely of insects. The frogs lay their eggs on the walls of the caves, and the tadpoles fall into the water below, where they spend the rest of their lives. The lichened copepod is a popular pet in Asia.

3 Turtle Frog


Turtle frog - Myobatrachus gouldii, lives in semi-arid regions Western Australia. She has a very unusual appearance- She looks like a turtle without a shell, with a round pink-brown body, a small head and short limbs. Their limbs are short and muscular, allowing them to dig in sand and break open termite mounds, which are the frog's main food source.

The turtle frog does not go through the tadpole stage, instead it grows into a fully formed little frog while still inside the egg. Therefore, turtle frog eggs are the largest among the eggs of all frogs in Australia, their size reaches 5 - 7 millimeters in length.

2. Glass frog (Glass Frog)

unusual looking glass frog- Centrolenidae, endemic to the Amazon.

The main part of the body of these frogs is green, but there is a transparent skin on the underside of their body. This allows you to clearly see their liver, heart and intestines. In pregnant females, you can even see frog eggs located inside. It is believed that the transparent skin of the frog serves as protection, and allows the light reflected from the leaves to shine through it. This makes it much less visible to predators. They live in trees in humid mountain regions and lay their eggs on leaves. The tadpoles then fall down into the water and continue to grow into adulthood.

1. Surinam pipa (Surinam Toad)


The first place in this list is occupied by the Surinamese pipa - Pipa pipa. Like many other frogs, it lives in the Amazon rainforest. This is a large frog that can grow up to twenty centimeters in length. Compared to other species, this frog has a very flat body and tiny eyes. These frogs are usually muddy brown and have no tongue or teeth. When looking for a partner, the Surinamese pipa does not croak like normal frogs, instead it makes a high-pitched clicking sound with the help of two bones located in the throat.

Even stranger are the spawning and reproductive ways of the pipa. The male attaches to the female in a pond, forming an amplexus, a peculiar form of pseudocopulation. The pair then jump out of the water several times. After each jump, the female releases several eggs, which are implanted on her back through the skin. These eggs then burrow deeper into the body, and within these pockets develop into fully formed pipas. Then, during childbirth, they break out of the skin of the female.

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Purple Frog


Purple frog - Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, this unique look frogs and the only member of the Nasikabatrachidae family that lives in the mountains of southern India. The frog has smooth, purple skin and a large, round body with squat limbs. The head of this frog is small, and the nose looks like a pig's snout. The purple frog spends most of his life underground and crawls out of his tunnel for only two weeks each year. This species has evolved independently over 130 million years and its closest living relatives are the Seychelles frogs (Sooglossidae frogs) of the Seychelles.

Have you ever met, walking along the banks of our rivers and lakes, flying frogs? No, of course, and why do they need this skill? But if ordinary frogs can only dream of flying, then for the copepod frogs of Southeast Asia they are a real reality.

For the first time flying Javanese frogs (lat. Rhacophorus reinwardtii) saw Alfred Russel Wallace, a famous English naturalist and biologist who traveled to Malaysia for scientific purposes in the middle of the 19th century.

Having made a huge number of the most amazing discoveries, however, he was shocked by this miracle of nature, which one of his assistants brought him to show. It was a small-sized tree frog, in which quite developed membranes were observed on the front and hind legs between the fingers. Russell's comrade claimed to have seen this frog literally fly off the tree.

Having established observation of these amazing creatures, naturalists noticed that during the flight the frogs spread their fingers, thereby greatly increasing the surface of the membranes. In addition, they had an amazing ability to inflate like a balloon.

And thanks to special suction cups on the inside of the paws, they not only deftly climbed trees, but also stuck to any, even the smoothest surface. Thus, tree frogs were able to glide perfectly in the air, jumping from one tree to another without any problems.

Flying frogs are the brightest representatives of the family of copepod frogs (lat. Rhacophorus). They live exclusively in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Africa and Madagascar. Having a special skeletal structure that significantly distinguishes them from other representatives of the frog world, they are able to overcome ten-meter distances with the help of their amazing paws.

Most of the time these frogs spend on trees. Many of them produce offspring there, laying eggs in nests that they build from a special mucus secreted by females. Males, which are rather modest in size in relation to females, help knock down the mucus into a thick foam. Tree frogs are nocturnal and feed on various insects.

Among the representatives of copepod frogs, there are also those that live exclusively in water. Their webbed paws serve as oars, with which they move rapidly.

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The family Copepods unites 2 subfamilies (Burgeriae, Buergeriinae - 4 species; Copepods, Rhacophorinae - 217 species) with 12 genera and more than 320 species, widespread in the tropical zone of Africa, South and East Asia, including many adjacent islands, incl. hours in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the islands of Japan (except Hokkaido) and the Sunda Archipelago. The taxonomy of the family is extremely complex and debatable until now. Many modern researchers, relying on data from special molecular genetic studies, propose to consider copepod frogs as a subfamily within the Ranidae family.

Annam paddlefish,Rhacophorus Annamensis . Inhabits forest biotopes in the foothills and mountains of the southern part of Vietnam, adhering to the valleys of streams and rivers. Reaches a maximum body length of about 9 cm, males are smaller and more slender than females. Feeds mainly on flying forms of insects. It breeds twice a year: in spring (March-May) and in autumn (October-November), however, some cases of spawning were noted in other seasons. A couple in amplexus on inclined surfaces (rocky outcrops, tree trunks and branches) above the water surface builds a foamy nest, in which they lay 150–200 eggs. Hatching larvae from the nest are washed out by rain and fall into the reservoir, where they pass. further development to metamorphosis. The Annam copepod is a narrow-range species, the real number of which is difficult to estimate due to the extremely secretive way of life outside the breeding season.

java flying frog,Rhacophorus reinwardtii . Males are slimmer and brighter than females. It got its name for the ability to make a gliding flight from branch to branch at a distance of more than 10 m with the help of enlarged interdigital membranes. It inhabits the rainforests of the Indonesian island of Java. Avoids human-transformed territories. Feeds mainly on flying forms of insects. Like other representatives of the genus Rhacophorus, it spends most of the year in the crowns of trees. At the beginning of the rainy season, it moves to the shores of forest reservoirs. On the branches and leaves hanging over the surface of the water, the steam in the amplexus builds a foamy nest in which it lays eggs. Embryos hatching from eggs are washed out of the nest by heavy rains and fall into the water, where they develop further to metamorphosis. Javan flying frog in natural biotopes - normal view. A popular object of keeping in the collections of terrariumists.

Rough copepod, or marbled teloderma,Theloderma asperum . Small copepod frog, reaching a length of 3.7 cm. Females and males do not have significant differences in body length. It is distributed in forest biotopes of southern China, eastern India and the countries of Indochina in altitudinal ranges from sea level to 2400 m a.s.l. y. m. Adult individuals live in pairs or harems in tree hollows filled with water, and in anthropogenic landscapes - in flooded basements and barrels of water. Spawning is portioned throughout the year with a pause between spawnings from 1 to 5 weeks. A pair in amplexus lays up to 11 eggs on vertical surfaces above water. Embryogenesis lasts 1-2 weeks. Hatching larvae fall into a reservoir, where they develop to metamorphosis, depending on temperature and nutrition, from 2.5 to 4 months. The rough copepod is a secretive little-studied species, the main information about the biology of which was obtained in artificial conditions. The pioneers in the development of teloderm breeding technology are the Tula Regional Exotarium and the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Bicolor copepod, or teloderma Bure,Theloderma bicolor . Medium-sized teloderm, reaching a maximum body length of 5.7 cm. It inhabits a very limited area of ​​mountain forests in the Vietnamese province of Tonkin at an altitude of 1200–2400 m above sea level. y. m. Like other members of the genus, the two-colored copepod forms stable harems that inhabit hollow trees and caves filled with water. It breeds from spring to autumn, attaching up to 20 eggs in portions over the surface of the water in one spawning. Embryos break through the egg shell after 1.5–2 weeks of development and fall into the water. They switch to exogenous (external) nutrition on the 3rd day after hatching. Larval development lasts about 3 months. The two-colored copepod is a narrow-range, little-studied species.

Lichen copepod, or moss frog,Theloderma corticale . AT contemporary literature also referred to as "Tonkin giant teloderma". The largest representative of the genus, reaching a length of 7.6 cm. It lives in mountain forests central and northern Vietnam, as well as, possibly, adjacent regions of China in the altitudinal range from 300 to 1500 m a.s.l. y. m. In natural biotopes, adult teloderms settle in pairs or harems in tree hollows filled with water, where they breed and spend the day. At dusk, they go hunting, eating mainly flightless insects. In case of danger, teloderms hide at the bottom of the reservoir, burrowing into a layer of leaf litter or silt deposits, and when caught, they skillfully pretend to be dead. They breed from spring to autumn. They spawn at intervals of 1.5 to 3 weeks during the entire breeding season. Clutch for one spawning has up to 70 eggs. After 2 weeks of development, the embryos break through the shell of the eggs and fall into the water, and after another 3 days they switch to external nutrition. Larval development to metamorphosis lasts 3–3.5 months. The lichen copepod lives and reproduces well in artificial conditions, and thanks to the original body shape and color, it has earned recognition among European terrariumists.

Hollow copepod, or stellate teloderma,Theloderma stellatum . Small teloderma with a body length of up to 3.6 cm. Widely distributed in the countries of Indochina in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. It lives in lowland and mountain forests, inhabiting water-filled voids, mainly tree hollows. Adults form harems. They breed throughout the year, with the exception of winter. Spawning is portioned, in the laying of one female up to 14 eggs. Embryogenesis lasts about 2 weeks. Larval development lasts up to 3 months. In nature, teloderms of this species are the most numerous representative of the genus. Hollow paddlefish under artificial conditions is an unpretentious, regularly breeding species, which has led to its wide distribution in terrarium collections. Also promising is its use as a laboratory and fodder animal.

Giant paddle,Polypedates ( Rhacophorus ) dennisii . The largest of the tree frogs, reaching a maximum length of more than 13 cm. Females are larger and more powerful than males. Distributed in the mountains and foothills of Southeast Asia in southern China, northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. Adheres to moist forests in altitude ranges from 200 to 1500 m above sea level. y. m. It feeds on various, mostly flightless, invertebrates, also eats small amphibians, lizards and mouse-like rodents. The breeding season is extended with a peak in the spring months. Males attract females with loud vocalizations. Lays 200–300 eggs in a ground nest at the edge of stagnant or slow-flowing forest water bodies. The hatching larvae are washed out of the nest by showers into the water, where they begin to feed and grow rapidly. The giant copepod is a spectacular large frog, which has made it popular with terrariumists in Europe.

house paddlefish,Polypedates leucomystax . Medium-sized tree frog up to 9 cm long. Females are larger than males. A widespread species that inhabits a wide variety of habitats in South and Southeast Asia, including adjacent large archipelagos, such as the Philippines and the Greater Sunda Islands. As a result of reintroduction formed a large population on Japanese island Okinawa. It rises to the mountains up to a height of 3000 m above sea level. y. m., but avoids dense forests and fast-flowing rivers and streams. Willingly settles in settlements and on agricultural lands, reaching a significantly larger number on them than in natural landscapes. It feeds on all available land invertebrates, mainly insects. The breeding season is extended. Males vocalize loudly to attract females. It spawns in all stagnant and slow-flowing water bodies, including roadside ditches and fountains. Like many other copepods, a pair of adults in amplexus builds a foamy nest by stirring up the secretion secreted by special glands with their hind legs. The nest of the house paddlefish can be located both on the soil near the water's edge, and on vertical surfaces - grass, tree branches, stones. Often there are group nests in which several pairs lay their eggs. Hatching tadpoles are carried by streams of rainwater into the reservoir. House paddlefish - the most mass view in anthropogenic landscapes.