Animals

As an adult the tree frog is brightly colored all over its body. The body is predominantly neon green but it is usually splashed with other colors like blue or yellow. The upper legs are usually bright blue and the feet are orange or red. The coloration of this tree frog is definitely eye catching.

The Red-eyed tree frog can change its color with its mood from a darker green to a reddish-brown. These tree frogs have suction cup toe pads. In this frog, males are smaller than the females. Males usually reach a length of about 2 inches while females are usually 3 inches in length.

Most tree frogs live in South America and Central America. They usually live in a neotropical enviroment in which they prefer the lowland rainforest areas close to rivers and hills. Tree frogs are carnivores and feed mainly at night, feasting on crickets, moths, flies, grasshoppers, and sometimes even smaller frogs! Basically, they will eat any insect or food item that they can fit into their mouths. In captivity, babies eat mostly fruit flies and pinhead crickets.

These frogs usually reproduce during the rainy months. Courtship is initiated by croaking and quivering. These frogs reproduce by the process called amplexus. This is common for frogs. Males attach themselves to the backs of females when the female’s eggs are mature. The male fertilizes the eggs as they emerge from the female.

He will not leave until all of the eggs have been laid, usually 30 - 50 pale eggs. This process may last for a day or longer. Reproduction takes place on the underside of leaves. The female must hold on with her suction cup toes. She is now holding on for the weight of both frogs. As each clutch emerges from the female she must enter the water and fill her bladder with water. If she does not, the next clutch of eggs to emerge will dry up and die.

When the females enter the water, she has to be careful because if other males see the couple, they may try to fight the male off of the female and try to take his place. If they succeed, they get the chance to fertilize some eggs. Most frog species lay their eggs in the water. This particular tree frog lays them on the underside of leaves that hang over a body of water. The egg clutches develop into tadpoles quickly.

Tadpoles swim around in their egg cases until they burst open. This rupturing of all the eggs occurs within a one-minute time frame. The fluid that is released witht he tadpoles helps to wash them down the leaf and into the water. Tadpoles metamorphose into tree frogs after 75 - 80 days.

The most noticeable part of the Red-eyed tree frog is, of course, its red eyes. Some may wonder why a frog would have such distinguishing eyes. Does it not make him more noticeable to his predators? This is a good question, but the Red-eyed tree frog has evolved with these particular eyes for a very good reason, startle coloration. Since the tree frog sleeps during the day, the redness of their eyes is covered up and they blend in better with their surroundings. But if something does start to bother them and they open up those huge, bright red eyes, it may scare their predator away.

The feet of this colorful creature are also important to its survival. Tree frogs have feet like suction cups which help them to attach to leaves, branches and the trunks of trees. This is important for mating, sleeping and eating. Even though Red-eyed tree frogs spend a large portion of their time in trees, they are frogs after all and they are good swimmers.