Green frog with red eyes. A tree frog with red eyes. Tree frog house
red-eyed tree frog, about 2 cm long, landed on the beetle's back.
http://www.infoniac.ru/gallery/day/Osedlav-zhuka.html
This frog is probably the most popular of all amphibian species with photographers in the world and for many is the epitome of the tropics. The red-eyed tree frog was first described by Edward Cope in 1862. Usually these tree frogs live in the area from Central America to Mexico, especially in Honduras. They are found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. They live in tropical forests and move through the trees, to some extent staying closer to the ground where they hunt at night, while they are always close to water bodies. This frog is also called the Red-Eyed Tree Frog, the Red-Eyed "Monkey Frog".
Today, these tree frogs are considered a fairly common species in these areas and are not threatened.
Description and general information
Family: Tree frogs (Hylidae)
Subfamily: Phyllomedusa (Phyllomedusinae)
Origin: Central America(Southern Mexico, Panama)
Adult Length: Males 50-55mm (1.96-2.16 inches); Females 65-70 mm (2.55-2.75 inches)
Lifespan: 4-10 years in captivity
Content Difficulty: Medium
Breeding Difficulty: Medium
Activity: Strictly nocturnal
Temperatures: Daytime 26-28°C (78-82°F); Night 22-24°C (71-75°F)
Diet: Crickets, moths and other insects
Male with female, (Photo: Dr. Peter Weish)
The red-eyed tree frog is a small tree frog belonging to the tree frog family. The back is painted in a bright lime green color during the day, but becomes darker with the onset of night, the abdomen is usually white or cream. Some individual individuals may have white spots on their backs. The eyes, as the name implies, are bright red with black vertical pupils. Paws are orange, toes with well-developed pads, partially fused, forming membranes. Specimens from the southern part of the range of this species have a blue or purple inner surface of the hind and forepaws, while individuals more northerly have an orange color instead of blue. Some individuals from the south have wide blue areas on the sides, against which there are 3-8 pale yellow thin vertical stripes; in northern specimens, the lateral regions are rather brownish-red, and the vertical stripes are darker. All the species that I met in the amphibian market came from the southern part of the range. During the day, all the bright parts of the body are hidden from view, and you can only see the green back of the tree frog - at night, when they begin to wake up, they appear before the world in all their glory. That. It's believed that bright colors the frog needs to scare off possible predators and get a chance to hide.
Red-eyed tree frog "Photo Gorky"
At night during the rainy season, which lasts from late May to December, males singing can be heard from the vegetation, about 1-3 meters from the ground. Plants of such a plan can be found around or near quiet reservoirs, ditches, ditches, small forest lakes. Sometimes tree frogs can be heard at a height of 5 meters or more. By itself, singing can be like clucking, a dull sound on one or two notes. Cases of singing of several hundred males at the same time are registered. Outside the breeding season, they can be found in trees at a height of 10 m and above. During the day, this night frog can be seen on green leaves, making the tree frog almost invisible to the outside world.
The breeding season begins with the arrival of the rainy season. As mentioned above, the singing of males can be heard from the thickets, so they try to attract females. bigger size. When a pair is formed, the male climbs onto the female, grabbing the base of her front paws. Holding the male on her back, the female descends to the water, absorbing some moisture into bladder- without this, the eggs, when laid, may dry out. After this procedure, the female climbs back to the tree or bush and selects a leaf above the pond where the eggs fertilized by the male can be laid. Pale green eggs will be in a jelly-like mass for 5-9 days before the appearance of tadpoles from them, which, after hatching, will fall into the reservoir and continue their development there. It happens that the female lays her eggs not directly above the reservoir, in which case the tadpoles are forced to use their tails to get to the reservoir. Groups of tadpoles sometimes gather near the surface of the water, at an angle of 45° on the sunny side of the reservoir. The final metamorphosis takes 7-9 weeks.
Like most frogs, these tree frogs are insectivorous, and in my experience they are more attracted to more mobile insects than amorphous creatures such as caterpillars. It is believed that they can eat smaller frogs, but this has not yet been proven. But the tree frogs themselves often become victims bats, birds, snakes (for example, Leptodeira willingly eat tree frog eggs).
Tree frogs, also known as tree frogs, are the most colorful members of the amphibian order, ranging in color from yellow and green to red and blue mixed with black. Such a bright range is not just a freak of nature, it is a signal for predators, warning of danger. By secreting a poisonous toxin that can paralyze, stun and kill even a large animal, tree frogs have firmly established themselves in the impenetrable tropical forests of Central and South America, where high humidity and the enormous biodiversity of insects allows them to survive for more than 200 million years. Appearing on Earth at the same time as dinosaurs, frogs demonstrate an extraordinary adaptation to the environment - painted in all the colors of the rainbow, they are almost invisible among the lush vegetation and inedible for most representatives of the fauna.
- Amerindians, have long learned to benefit from poison dart frogs, using it as a deadly substance to lubricate the tips of their hunting darts. Having pierced the frog with a stick, the Indians first held it over the fire, and then collected the droplets of poison that appeared on the skin of the animal into a container, after which they dipped the arrows in a viscous liquid. Hence another name for poisonous tree frogs- dart frogs.
Unusual facts from the life of poisonous poison dart frogs
- Among the 175 brightly colored tree frog species, only three pose a threat to humans, the rest imitate toxicity with their appearance although they are not poisonous.
- The size of dangerous tree frogs reaches 2-5 cm, and females are larger than males.
- Tree frogs climb trees thanks to rounded ends on their legs, resembling suction cups. Making circular movements with their limbs, they easily move along the sheer plane of the tree trunk.
- Poison poison dart frogs prefer to live alone, carefully guarding the boundaries of their territory, and converge only during the mating season after reaching 2 years of age.
- Tree frogs acquire their bright color with age, frogs always have a nondescript brown color.
- The frog's body does not produce poison - it adsorbs toxins small insects. Poisonous secretions appear on the skin of an amphibian at the moment of danger and are due to a specific "diet", which includes ants, flies, and beetles. Captive-bred tree frogs far from their natural place habitats and deprived of their usual food, are absolutely harmless.
- Dart frogs lead both diurnal and night image life, climb on the ground and trees, when hunting they use a long sticky tongue.
- The life cycle of tree frogs is 5-7 years, in captivity - 10-15 years.
Yellow poison dart frog
Inhabiting the Andean foothills - in the coastal zones of southwestern Colombia, the most poisonous frog in the world - a terrible leaf climber ( Phyllobates terribilis ) , prefers growing on rocks 300-600 m above sea level. The leafy litter under the crowns of trees near the reservoir is a favorite place for the most dangerous vertebrate animal in the world - yellow-gold tree frogs, whose poison can kill 10 people at a time.
The distribution zone of the strawberry-colored tree frog (Andinobates geminisae), 1.5 cm in size, from the family of poisonous leaf climbers, first found in 2011, is the jungle of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. The red-orange palette of the body of an unusual amphibian is adjacent to the bright blue on the hind legs and black marks on the head. After the terrible golden leaf climber, the red tree frog ranks second in the world in terms of toxicity.
Okopipee blue poison frog
In 1968, the tree frog sky- of blue color Dendrobatus azureus was first discovered by scientists in humid tropical areas. A bright shade of cobalt or azure sapphire with black and white splashes is the classic coloring of Okopipi. Own name poisonous tree frog received from local natives for a long time - unlike scientists, it has been familiar to the Amerindians for many centuries. The distribution area of \u200b\u200ba unusual vertebrate is the relict rainforests surrounding the Sipaliwini savanna, stretching through the southern regions of Suriname and Brazil. According to scientists, the blue dart frog was, as it were, “mothballed” in this area during the last ice age when part of the jungle turned into a grassy plain. It is surprising that Okopipi cannot swim like all amphibians, and she gets the necessary moisture in the wet thickets of the rainforest.
The distribution area of the red-eyed tree frog - Agalychnis callidryas, is quite extensive: from Northern Colombia, through the entire central part America, to the southern tip of Mexico. lives this species amphibians mainly in the lowlands of Costa Rica and Panama. The coloring of the “big-eyed” poison dart frog is the most intense in the family of tailless vertebrates - neon spots of blue and orange are scattered on a bright green background. But the eyes of this amphibian are especially noteworthy - scarlet, with a vertical narrow pupil, they help a harmless little frog scare off predators.
In the east of the continent, there is another species of red-eyed frog - Litoria chloris - the owner of a rich light green color with yellow patches. Both types of tree frogs are not poisonous despite their expressive “outfit” and piercing eyes.
Interesting to know! Many animals have showy coloration, a warning color evolved to ward off predators and indicate the toxicity of its owner. As a rule, this is a combination of contrasting colors: black and yellow, red and blue or others, a striped or teardrop-shaped pattern - even those predators that are naturally color blind can distinguish such colors. In addition to the catchy color scheme miniature animals have big eyes, incommensurable with the dimensions of the body, which in the dark creates the illusion of a large organism. This feature designed for survival is called aposematism.
Medical uses of tree frog venom
Scientists' research on the pharmacological use of frog toxins began as early as 1974 - then in National Institute US health authorities were the first to conduct experiments with dendrobatid (Dendrobatid) and epidatidin (Epidatidine), the main components of the poison of tree frogs. It turned out that in its analgesic properties, one substance is 200 times greater than morphine, and the other is 120 times greater than nicotine. In the mid-90s, a scientist at Abbott Labs. managed to create a synthetic version of epidatidin - ABT-594, which significantly reduces pain, but does not lull like opiates. The American Museum of Natural History team also analyzed 300 alkaloids found in tree frog venom and determined that some of them are effective for neuralgia and muscle dysfunction.
- The most big frog in the world - goliath (Conraua goliath) from West Africa, the length of her body (excluding legs) is about 32-38 cm, weight - almost 3.5 kg. A giant amphibian lives in Cameroon and Guinea, on sandy shores African rivers Sanaga and Benito.
- The smallest frog in the world is a tree toad from Cuba, it grows 1.3 cm in length.
- In total, there are about 6 thousand species of frogs in the world, but every year scientists find more and more new species.
- A toad is the same frog, only its skin is dry, unlike frogs, and covered with warts, and its hind legs are shorter.
- The frog sees perfectly at night and is sensitive to even the slightest movement, in addition, the location and shape of the eyes allows it to perfectly survey the area not only in front and on the sides of itself, but also partially behind.
- Thanks to their long hind legs, frogs can jump up to 20 times their body length. The Costa Rican tree frog has webbed toes between its hind and fore feet, a peculiar aerodynamic device that helps it float in the air as it jumps from one branch to another.
- Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded - their body temperature changes in direct proportion to the parameters environment. When the air temperature drops to a critical level, they burrow underground and remain in suspended animation until spring. Even if 65% of the tree frog's body is frozen, it will survive by increasing the concentration of glucose in vital organs. Another example of survivability is demonstrated by the Australian desert frog - it can survive without water for about 7 years.
New types of frogs and toads found in the world
Recently, in a highland region in the west of Panama, a the new kind golden tree frog. Scientists were able to spot the amphibian in the dense foliage because of an unusual loud croak, unlike any previously studied. When zoologists caught the animal, a yellow coloring pigment began to appear on its paws. There was a fear that the secretions were poisonous, but after a series of tests, it turned out that the bright yellow mucus did not contain any toxins. The strange feature of the frog helped the scientific team come up with her scientific name- Diasporus citrinobapheus, which conveys in Latin the essence of her behavior. Another new look poison frogs- Andinobates geminisae, scientists found in Panama (Doroso, Colon province), in the upper reaches of the Rio Canyo. According to experts, the neon-orange frog is on the verge of extinction, since its habitat is extremely small.
On the island of Sulawesi near the Philippine archipelago, a scientific team discovered the existence of a large number of clawed frogs - 13 species, and 9 of them were hitherto unknown to science. Differences are observed in the body size of amphibians, the size and number of spurs on the hind legs. Due to the fact that this species is the only one on the island, nothing prevents it from breeding and multiplying, unlike its relatives in the Philippines, where spur frogs compete with another species - amphibians of the Platymantis family. Fast growth The number of island anurans clearly demonstrates the correctness of the concept of adaptive distribution of Charles Darwin, described on the example of finches from the Galapagos archipelago.
Biodiversity of frogs on Earth
- Vietnam. About 150 species of amphibian animals are distributed here; in 2003, 8 new species of frogs were found on the territory of the country.
- Venezuela. The exotic state is sometimes referred to as " lost world» - many mesas that are difficult for researchers to reach are distinguished by endemic flora and fauna. In 1995, a group of scientists undertook a helicopter expedition to the Sierra Yavi, Guanay and Yutaye mountains, where 3 species of frogs unknown to science were found.
- Tanzania. In the mountains of Ujungwa open new variety tree frogs - Leptopelis barbouri.
- Papua New Guinea. Over the past decade, 50 unstudied species of anurans have been found here.
- Northeastern regions of the USA. Habitat of a rare spider-like toad.
- Madagascar. The island is home to 200 species of frogs, of which 99% are endemic - unique species that are not found anywhere else. The latest discovery of scientists - the narrow-mouthed toad, was discovered through a study of the soil and leafy cover of the jungle, during which it was possible to identify amphibian excrement.
- Colombia. The most outstanding discovery of scientists in this region is the species of tree frog Colostethus atopoglossus, which lives only on the eastern slopes of the Andes, in El Boquerón.
Argentina, Bolivia, Guyana, Tanzania and many more countries with tropical climate and rugged landscapes are regions where scientists are constantly finding new subspecies of animals, including tailless amphibians - frogs. Owners miniature sizes, the arboreal representatives of the amphibian order are not only the smallest, but also the most dangerous animals in the world - modern zoologists are becoming more and more convinced of this.
In contact with
With its large, bulging red eyes, this tree frog uses defense mechanism called the color of fright. When the frog closes them, its green eyelids help it blend in with the palette of green plants around it. If you approach a nocturnal frog during daytime sleep, it suddenly opens its eyes, which instantly discourages the predator, providing itself with a few seconds in order to escape. So big red eyes are by no means a tribute to fashion.
To emphasize the color of their eyes, these red-eyed frogs are bright green, sometimes with a yellow or blue tint. Depending on the mood, the red-eyed tree frog can change skin color, becoming dark green or reddish brown. Abdomen and throat usually white color, and on the sides there is a pattern of vertical blue stripes with a white border. The toes are bright red or orange and are equipped with suction cups that allow them to sleep during the day by clinging tightly to leaves in tropical forest, and at night to hunt insects and small frogs.
Females reach a size of 7.5 cm, males are slightly smaller - 5.6 cm. Like other amphibians, red-eyed tree frogs begin their lives as tadpoles in temporary or permanent reservoirs. As adult frogs, they are still dependent on water, and in order to keep their skin moist, they prefer to always be near water sources, which are abundant in tropical rainforests.
Red-eyed tree frogs can be found clinging to branches, trunks, and even under the leaves of trees, where they hide from predators. Adults live in the upper and middle tiers rainforest, sometimes they can be found inside bromeliad plants. Red-eyed tree frogs are predators, feeding mainly on insects. They prefer crickets, flies, grasshoppers and butterflies. Sometimes they do not disdain smaller relatives.
Frogs have historically always been indicators of the health of an ecosystem or its impending vulnerability. Not surprisingly, the frog population the globe in last years decreased significantly, studies show that factors including chemical contamination from pesticide use, acid rain, the use of mineral fertilizers, weaken the ozone layer, increasing the effect of UV radiation, and can damage fragile eggs. Although the red-eyed tree frog is not endangered, its habitat is under constant threat.
Species: Agalychnis callidryas = Red-eyed tree frog
(Red-eyed tree frog, Beautiful tree nymph).
The red-eyed tree frog was described in 1862 by Cope. And its Latin specific name comes from Greek words- kallos (beautiful) and dryas (tree nymph).
In the red-eyed tree frog, the area occupies the Central and South America. It is noted in such countries as Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Belize, Colombia, Panama.
Their main habitats: low-lying and foothill tropical rain forests, usually located near or on the shore of water bodies. The red-eyed tree frog inhabits the upper and middle tiers of trees. Here tree frogs settle on the leaves of epiphytic plants and vines.
The red-eyed tree frog has a slender body covered with smooth skin. The main tone of the body color is green, and on the sides of the body and at the base of the paws it is blue with a yellow pattern, the fingers are orange. The belly is white or cream. The coloration varies within the range. Some individuals have small white spots on the back.
It is noted that in Panama, young tree frogs can change their color: in the daytime they are green, and at night they turn purple or red-brown. The eyes of young individuals are not red, but yellow.
The toes are short, with suckers on thick pads. Therefore, the fingers of the red-eyed tree frog are adapted more for climbing than for swimming. The head is rounded with large red eyes and a vertical pupil. The eyes have a nictitating membrane that protects the eye from foreign objects. 
In the red-eyed tree frog, females are somewhat larger than males: they reach 7.5 cm, while males - 5.6 cm.
The red-eyed tree frog is nocturnal. During the day, frogs sleep on the underside of green leaves, thus hiding from various predators.
While resting, their eyes are covered with a translucent membrane that does not prevent the frogs from seeing. If a predator attacks a red-eyed tree frog, it sharply opens its eyes and their bright red color confuses the attacker. At the moment when the predator froze, the frog runs away.
The main enemies of the red-eyed tree frog are snakes, in particular parrot snakes (Leptophis ahaetulla), as well as some tree lizards, birds, small mammals(incl. the bats). Despite this, average duration life is 3-5 years.
Tadpoles are preyed upon by large arthropods (for example, water spiders), fish and turtles. Red-eyed tree frog eggs are readily eaten by cat-eyed snakes (Leptodeira septentrionalis), wasps (Polybia rejecta), monkeys, fly larvae Hirtodrosophila batracida, etc. In addition, eggs are often affected by fungal infections (Filamentous ascomycete, etc.).
The red-eyed tree frog, like its other tribesmen, is a carnivore. The basis of its diet consists of various animals: from insects - a variety of beetles, dipterans (all kinds of flies and mosquitoes), lepidoptera and arachnids, to small lizards and frogs, i.e. they eat whatever they can catch and what fits in their mouths.
Red-eyed tree frogs can swim, have parabolic vision and a good sense of touch. When night falls, tree frogs wake up, yawn and stretch.
Despite their bright, frightening coloration, red-eyed tree frogs are not poisonous, although their skin contains a large number of active peptides (tachykinin, bradykinin, caerulein and demorphin).
With the advent of the wet season, when the rains begin, red-eyed tree frogs begin breeding. Peak breeding within the range falls on May-November. 
Adult males have special resonator sacs that greatly amplify the sounds they produce. Males, competing with each other, actively sing, trying to attract a female. On dry rainless nights, males sing, climbing high on the plants closest to the reservoir, and during rain or when reservoirs are filled to the brim with rainwater, red-eyed frogs descend to the ground or sit at the base of small shrubs and trees and sing.
When a female, attracted by the singing of males, approaches them, then several suitors can immediately jump on her at once. As soon as amplexus occurs, the female, with the male sitting on her back, descends into the water and remains there for about ten minutes in order to absorb water through the skin. 
After that, the female begins to lay eggs one at a time, placing them on leaves hanging over the water. In total, the female lays up to 30-50 green eggs. Their diameter immediately after oviposition is about 3.7 mm, and before the larvae emerge it reaches 5.2 mm. Each egg is covered on the outside with a gelatinous, rather elastic shell, which plays a protective role, making them unattractive to many potential predators.
After the completion of the oviposition process, the female returns to the water to restore the disturbed water balance of the body. In total, during the breeding season, a female can mate with several males and lay up to five clutches of eggs.
Incubation of eggs continues depending on the temperature of 6-10 days. In some cases, when the tadpoles in the clutch that have almost completed their development are threatened by a predator (for example, an attack by a snake or wasp) or flooding, the tadpoles leave the eggs ahead of schedule - by 4-5 days. Tadpoles usually hatch in the same clutch almost simultaneously, which allows the liquid released from the eggs to wash them off the leaf into the pond. Sometimes the tadpoles fall to the ground. In this case, they can live without water for up to 20 hours. If it rains during this time, it can wash the tadpoles into a nearby body of water.
Red-eyed tree frog larvae have external gills, while hatched tadpoles breathe through internal gills and skin.
The dorsal side of the tadpoles of the red-eyed tree frog has an olive-gray color, and their length reaches 4.8 mm. Complete metamorphosis of tadpoles is completed in 75-80 days.
Currently, the number of populations of the red-eyed tree frog is gradually declining due to active human activities that destroy their natural habitats.