The tree frog is a tailless amphibian, which is often called a tree frog by the people. 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 the dinosaurs. They easily merged with the environment and hid from predators, which allowed amphibians to survive to this day. These small but graceful creatures will be discussed in this article.
Features
Most often, the tree frog has a bright color. The standard color is a green back with emerald tints, a milky belly. Along the sides there is a strip, which can be either black or gray-brown, or stand out as a bright spot on a solid body.
In fact, the coloring directly depends on what kind of poison dart frogs isspeech. There are individuals with a bright blue, acid yellow and even spotted body. Amphibians acquire color with age. Tadpoles are born inconspicuous brown. Color may change depending on environmental conditions. For example, if it gets colder, the tree frog's back will become darker.
The tree frog got the name "tree nymph" for its unusual harmony and elegance. The amphibian lives in a dense crown of plants, in the shade of bushes. In any case, the tree frog lives near water bodies. The tree nymph is a small amphibian, most often its body length is only 5 - 7 cm, however, some representatives reach a length of 40 cm. They are considered champions of their kind. Males are significantly smaller than females.
Because frogs are cold-blooded creatures, their body temperature directly depends on environmental conditions. As soon as the air temperature drops to a critical level, 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, burrowing into the sands of the desert. These include the Australian frog.
Lifestyle
The tree frog is very dexterous. She is equally nimble in water and on land. Moreover, the amphibian feels great on trees, it can even jump from branch to branch. The tree frog merges with the foliage and spends the whole day motionless, waiting for the night. It clings to the bark with the help of suction pads located at the fingertips. With this device, she canstick to a smooth surface like glass or plastic without much effort.
In the dark, the tree frog hunts. The amphibian has excellent night vision, so not a single insect flying by goes unnoticed. However, the tree frog gladly eats not only flies and mosquitoes, but also caterpillars, small bugs and ants, as well as tiny lizards. It captures prey using a long, sticky tongue. To deal with larger food, it uses its tenacious front paws. Tree frogs, or tree frogs, are the only type of frog that can catch an insect in a jump and still stay on a branch.
These amphibians are in dire need of water, they get special pleasure from swimming. This usually happens in the evening when dusk falls on the ground. After spending a whole day on a tree, the tree frog restores the water balance in his body with the help of bathing, as the fluid passes freely through the skin of the amphibian.
Singing
Grasping paws with suckers, bright colors, a long sticky tongue and excellent dexterity - these are the signs of tree frogs. How else can you determine that you are dealing with a tree frog? The sonorous "voice" of the amphibian will help with this. The fact is that in her throat there is a resonator with an unusual structure. At the same time, in other frog species, it is located on the sides of the head. Thanks to this feature, the tree frog sings loudly and loudly, thereby notifying everyone around about the arrival of spring.
When amphibians sing, the skin on their neck resembles a convex ball. The sounds made at the same time are often compared to the quacking of ducklings. Males are considered the best artists among representatives of this species. Their jaw skin is colored golden. Singing is also used to attract females. Representatives of each species make special sounds, so only relatives respond to the call. Mating takes place in the water. First, the female spawns, and then the male fertilizes it. Soon tadpoles of tree frogs appear. In 50 - 100 days they turn into adults, and after two years they reach sexual maturity.
Poison
The 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 an amphibian. Amphibians release a poisonous toxin. Its prey can be paralyzed, stunned, or even killed. Some amphibians are considered among the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
American natives, commonly known as the Amerindians, have benefited from a deadly poison for centuries. When hunting, they use darts whose tips are smeared with a deadly substance. To collect the poison, they pierced the frog and held it over the fire for some time. The drops that appeared on her skin were collected in a separate container. Arrowheads were dropped there. Because of this, representatives of tree frogs began to be called darts frogs.
Varieties
There are at least 175 varieties of brightly coloredtree frogs. However, only 3 of them pose a mortal danger to humans. Other amphibians are not poisonous; with the help of a prominent color, they protect themselves from predators. Those tree nymphs that can really 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 threatened. They seek to protect their home.
Yellow poison dart frog
The habitat of this amphibian is the tropical rainforests of Colombia, located in its southwest. For rest, the amphibian chooses deciduous litter under the dense crowns of trees growing near the reservoir. The terrible leaf climber, as it is also called, is considered the most dangerous vertebrate animal in the world. The poison of this, of course, beautiful tree frog is capable of taking the life of 10 people at a time. The frog has powerful hind legs. The body is painted yellow-gold with black patches on the head and torso.
Red Frog
Such a family of tree frogs as poisonous leafcreepers is an example of how beauty and death can be combined. Another of its representatives is the red poison frog, which was first described only in 2011. It lives in the jungles of Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica. The body, which is 1.5 cm long, is painted in a red-orange or strawberry palette. The hind legs are bright blue, with black markings on the head and back. The tree frog is the second most dangerous creature in the world afteryellow poison frog.
Blue poison frog - okopipi
Scientists first discovered this deadly creature in the Amazon rainforest in 1968. The amphibian has an amazing coloration: a bright sky blue of cob alt is combined with an azure sapphire hue. Throughout the body are black and white blotches. This is the classic tree frog.
Local natives, however, have known the amphibian for a long time. According to one version, due to the fact that during the Ice Age part of the jungle was only a grassy plain, representatives of the poisonous tree frog were “mothballed”. An interesting fact is that the okopipee is an amphibian that gets the necessary moisture in the forests of the rainforest, so it does not even know how to swim.
Phyllomedusa
Some tree frogs, the photos of which are presented in this article, as mentioned earlier, are poisonous. These include phyllomedusa, whose venom affects the nervous and digestive systems. For example, it can cause gastrointestinal upset 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 the Amazon, northern Bolivia. These representatives of amphibians are found in Brazil, in eastern Peru, in the southern regions of Colombia, and also in Guyana. These frogs are the mostcommon in savannas and forests. They can be kept at home. In this case, their body will acquire a bright color in two months. In six months - 10 months, the individual will reach sexual maturity and will be ready for reproduction.
Bright-Eyed Tree Frog
This genus includes representatives of 8 tree frog species, among which is 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 green, the tree frog is easily camouflaged among the dense foliage. The base of the paws, as well as the sides, are painted in a neon blue tint. It has a yellow pattern on it. The fingers are orange. This coloring makes representatives of red-eyed frogs the most catchy of their kind. Bright coloring is recognized even by such predatory organisms, which are by their nature color-blind. This climbing tree frog in nature prefers to climb higher, to the middle or upper tiers of trees
The name of the tree frog was due to the amazing red eyes with a vertical pupil. They are disproportionately large compared to the entire body, so in the dark an illusion of a large animal is created. This deters many predators. Like other representatives of this species, she preys on insects, sometimes catching small lizards and arachnids. It breeds almost all year round. This is due to the fact that the red-eyed frog lives in tropical forests. The tree frog defends itself with a bright appearance, so it is not poisonous.
