The tree frog is a tailless amphibian, which is popularly referred to as tree frog. Translated from Latin, the name of the amphibian sounds like "tree nymph". It is believed that representatives of these amphibians first appeared on planet Earth at the same time as dinosaurs. They easily merged with the environment and hid from predators, which allowed amphibians to survive to this day. These small but elegant creations will be discussed in this article.
Characteristics
Most often, tree frog has a bright color. The standard color is a green back with emerald tints, a milky belly. A strip is located along the sides, which can be either black or gray-brown, or stand out as a bright spot on a plain body.
In fact, the color directly depends on what kind of woodpeckers we are talking about. There are individuals with a bright blue, acid yellow and even spotted body. Amphibian colors acquire with age. Tadpoles appear inconspicuous brown. Depending on the environmental conditions, the color may vary. For example, if it gets colder, then the back of a tree frog will become darker.
The tree frog was called the “tree nymph” for its unusual harmony and elegance. Amphibian lives in a dense crown of plants, in the shade of bushes. In any case, tree frog lives near water bodies. The tree nymph is a small amphibian, most often the length of her body is only 5 - 7 cm, however, individual representatives reach a length of 40 cm. They are considered record holders of their kind. Males have significantly smaller sizes than females.
Since frogs are cold-blooded creatures, their body temperature directly depends on environmental conditions. As soon as the air temperature drops to critical, tree frogs burrow underground and fall into a kind of hibernation, or a state of suspended animation. Some representatives of tree nymphs are able to spend 7 years without water, buried in the sands of the desert. These include the Australian frog.
Lifestyle
The tree frog is very agile. She equally agilely moves in water and on land. Moreover, an amphibian feels great on trees, it can even jump from branch to branch. Tree frog merges with foliage and spends all day motionless, waiting for the night. She clings to the bark with the help of suction pads located on the tips of her fingers. Thanks to this device, it can stay on a smooth surface like glass or plastic, without much effort.
In the dark, a tree frog hunts. Amphibian has excellent night vision, so not a single flying insect goes unnoticed. However, tree frogs gladly eat not only flies and mosquitoes, but also caterpillars, small bugs and ants, as well as tiny lizards. She captures the prey using a long sticky tongue. To deal with larger food, she uses tenacious forepaws. Woods, or tree frogs, are the only species of frogs that can catch an insect in a jump while staying on a branch.
These amphibians are in dire need of water, they get special pleasure from swimming. This usually occurs in the evening, when dusk falls to the ground. After a whole day spent on a tree, tree frog restores water balance in its body by bathing, because the liquid passes through the amphibian skin unhindered.
Singing
Tenacious paws with suction cups, bright colors, a long sticky tongue and excellent dexterity - these are signs of tree frogs. How else can you determine that you're dealing with tree frogs? This will help the sonorous "voice" of amphibians. The fact is that a resonator with an unusual structure is located in its throat. At the same time, in other species of frogs, it is located on the sides of the head. Thanks to this feature, tree frog sings loudly and loudly, thereby alerting everyone around the arrival of spring.
In those moments when amphibians sing, the skin on their neck resembles a convex ball. Sounds made during this are often compared to the quacking of ducklings. The best artists among representatives of this species are males. Their jaw skin is colored golden. Singing is also used to attract females. Representatives of each species make special sounds, therefore only relatives respond to the call. Mating takes place in water. First, the female swallows eggs, and then the male fertilizes her. Soon tadpoles of tree frogs appear. In 50 - 100 days they turn into adults, and after two years reach puberty.
Poison
Tree frog tree frog can be poisonous. Therefore, sometimes a bright color is not just a beautiful appearance, but also a warning that it is better not to mess with amphibian. Amphibians emit a toxic toxin. His victim may be paralyzed, stunned, or even killed. Some representatives of amphibians are considered one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
American natives, commonly called Amerindians, have benefited from deadly venom for centuries. During the hunt, they use darts, whose tips are smeared with a deadly substance. To collect the poison, they pierced the frog and for some time held it over the fire. Drops protruding on her skin were collected in a separate container. The arrowheads were lowered there. Because of this, representatives of tree frogs began to be called dart frogs.
Varieties
There are at least 175 varieties of brightly colored tree frogs. However, only 3 of them represent a mortal danger to humans. Other amphibians are not poisonous, they protect themselves from predators with the help of the eye-catching color. Those tree nymphs that can actually cause death, prefer loneliness, they gather in groups only in the mating season, when they reach the age of 2 years. They attack large animals only if they feel danger. They seek to protect their home.
Yellow Poison Dart frog
The range of this amphibian is the tropical rainforests of Colombia, located in its southwest. For relaxation, the amphibian chooses leafy litter under the dense crowns of trees growing near the reservoir. The terrible listolaz, as it is also called, is considered the most dangerous vertebrate in the world. The poison of this, of course, beautiful tree frog is able to take life from 10 people at a time. The frog has powerful hind legs. The body is painted in yellow-gold color with black patches on the head and body.
Red frog
A family of tree frogs, such as poisonous leaf climbers, is an example of how beauty and death can be combined. Another representative of it is the red poisonous frog, which was first described only in 2011. It lives in the jungle of Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica. The body, whose length is 1.5 cm, is painted in a red-orange or strawberry palette. The hind legs are bright blue, with black marks on the head and back. Tree frog is the second most dangerous creature in the world after a yellow poisonous frog.
Blue Poison Frog - Okopipi
Scientists first discovered this deadly creature in the rainforests of the Amazon in 1968. Amphibian has an amazing color: bright sky blue cobalt is combined with an azure sapphire hue. Black and white blotches are found throughout the body. This is a classic color scheme for tree frogs.
Local aborigines, however, have been familiar with amphibians for a long time. According to one version, due to the fact that during the Ice Age, part of the jungle was just a grassy plain, representatives of the poisonous tree frog were "mothballed." An interesting fact is that okokipi is an amphibian that receives the necessary moisture in the rainforest forests, so it does not even know how to swim.
Phyllomedusa
Some tree frogs, the photo of which is presented in this article, as mentioned above, are poisonous. These include phyllomedusa, whose poison affects the nervous and digestive systems. For example, it can cause an upset gastrointestinal tract, as well as hallucinations. Phyllomedusa is considered one of the largest tree frogs in the world. The body length of the male is about 9 - 10 cm. The female is slightly larger: 11 - 12 cm.
The natural habitat is the territory of Amazonia, northern Bolivia. These amphibian representatives are found in Brazil, in eastern Peru, in the southern regions of Colombia, and in Guyana. These frogs are most common in savannahs and forests. They can be kept at home. In this case, their body will acquire a bright color in two months. After six months - 10 months, the individual will reach puberty and will be ready for reproduction.
Bright-eyed tree frog
Representatives of 8 species of tree frogs belong to this genus, among which are the red-eyed tree frog. The length of her body does not exceed 7.5 cm. Due to the fact that the main color is represented in green, tree frog easily camouflages itself among dense foliage. The base of the paws, as well as the sides are painted in a neon blue shade. On it is a yellow pattern. Fingers are orange. This coloring makes the representatives of red-eyed frogs the most catchy of their kind. Bright coloring is recognized even by such predatory organisms, which are by nature color blind. This tree frog-climber in nature prefers to climb higher, on the middle or upper tiers of trees
The tree frog got its name thanks to amazing red eyes with a vertical pupil. They have a disproportionately large size compared to the entire body, so in the dark creates the illusion of a large animal. This scares off many predators. Like other representatives of this species, it preys on insects, sometimes catches small lizards and arachnids. Propagated almost all year round. This is due to the fact that the red-eyed frog lives in tropical forests. Tree frog is protected by a bright appearance, so it is not poisonous.