The most beautiful frogs and toads in the world and their beautiful photos. orange frog orange toad

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. This is where another name for poisonous tree frogs came from - 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 the toxins of 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 sky blue tree frog 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 ​​​​an unusual vertebrate is relic 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.

Distribution area red-eyed tree frog- Agalychnis callidryas, quite extensive: from Northern Colombia, through the whole 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 away 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 environmental parameters. 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 gold 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 has discovered the existence a large number 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

: Invalid or missing image

extinct species
IUCN 3.1 Extinct:

Hypotheses about the cause of extinction

After several unsuccessful attempts to discover the extinct toads in the 1990s (there was hope that they could be preserved in underground puddles and reservoirs), scientists began to discuss possible reasons extinction of the orange toad. The following versions received the most support:

• epidemic fungal infection;
• changes in the ocean current El Niño, which caused a record drought in the toad microhabitat in tropical forests, which killed the animals.

Write a review on the article "Orange Toad"

Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Orange Toad

By dusk, the cannonade began to subside. Alpatych came out of the basement and stopped at the door. Before a clear evening, the sky was all covered with smoke. And through this smoke a young, high-standing sickle of the moon shone strangely. After the former terrible rumble of guns had fallen silent over the city, silence seemed to be interrupted only by the rustle of steps, groans, distant screams and the crackle of fires, as it were spread throughout the city. The groans of the cook are now quiet. From both sides, black clouds of smoke from fires rose and dispersed. On the street, not in rows, but like ants from a ruined tussock, in different uniforms and in different directions, soldiers passed and ran through. In the eyes of Alpatych, several of them ran into Ferapontov's yard. Alpatych went to the gate. Some regiment, crowding and hurrying, blocked the street, going back.
“The city is being surrendered, leave, leave,” the officer who noticed his figure said to him and immediately turned to the soldiers with a cry:
- I'll let you run around the yards! he shouted.
Alpatych returned to the hut and, calling the coachman, ordered him to leave. Following Alpatych and the coachman, all Ferapontov's household went out. Seeing the smoke and even the lights of the fires, which were now visible in the beginning twilight, the women, who had been silent until then, suddenly began to wail, looking at the fires. As if echoing them, similar cries were heard at the other ends of the street. Alpatych with a coachman, with trembling hands, straightened the tangled reins and horses' lines under a canopy.

The orange toad belongs to the rarest species amphibians and is considered a population that has disappeared from the face of the earth. it mysterious disappearance happened suddenly and abruptly. The last recorded data that researchers encountered 11 orange toads date back to 1989.

After that, scientists have never been able to meet a unique amphibian, contrary to the hopes that toads could survive in some reservoirs and underground puddles.

Eyewitnesses describe what golden toads looked like bright jewel, a gold ingot, it is not known how it turned out to be underfoot on mortal earth in the middle of the forest. By the way, according to legend, when a golden toad dies, it turns into gold.

The red-orange toad lived in the tropical forests of Costa Rica, in a strictly defined area (not throughout the forests, but on one Monteverdi mountain).

The first information about an amphibian of an unusual color dates back to 1966. It was described as a small toad, orange-red in color, with black eyes and moist, delicate skin.

The causes of extinction are not known for certain. It is assumed that among the "culprits" may be:

• fungal epidemic,
• micro-habitat drought due to changes in ocean El Niño current,
• increase in ultraviolet radiation,
• environmental pollution,
• deforestation.

The closest relatives of orange toads, with which they are often confused, are golden atelopus. They are not so frankly golden-red, but no less bright and pretty, also little studied, living in Costa Rica, in Panama. In the people, both species are simply called "golden frogs", without making any special differences between tailless amphibians.

Golden Frog (in broad sense, including all kinds and subspecies) is considered national symbol Panama. August 14 is National Golden Frog Day. Throughout August, celebrations, festivals and exhibitions take place in Panama.