Amazon Milk Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix)

Common Name: Amazon Milk Frog, Mission Golden-eyed Tree Frog, Boatman Frog, Blue Milk Frog, and Wife Toad
Scientific Name: Trachycephalus resinifictrix
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog Family
Location: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname,  and Venezuela
Size: 3-5 inches (7.6 – 12.7 cm) with females being slightly larger than males

The fairy large tree frog species, the Amazon Milk Frog, lives in the canopy of tropical rain forests of South America. Like most tree frog species, they are arboreal (lives in the trees) and nocturnal (active at night). The Amazon Milk Frog is named the “Milk” frogs because they will release a milky secretion that they produce, when threatened by a predator to scare them off.

You can find them commonly in the pet trade now because of their beauty even if they are inactive during most of the day. They are an easier of species of frogs to take care of. Make sure to read my article about preparing for a pet frog or toad before buying an Amazon Milk Frog.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categorizes the frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range and are thought to be abundant throughout it. Clear cutting of the forests the frogs call home threatens local populations, but overall, the frog seems to be doing ok.

Amazon Milk Frog Reproduction

They will start breeding during the rainy season, between November and May. The males call from water filled tree holes. Once a female arrives, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, she lays her eggs in the hole and the male fertilizes them. The female lays around 2500 in a clutch. Then, the eggs hatch into tadpoles the very next day. The tadpoles stay in the tree and eat vegetation or other eggs that haven’t hatched yet until they complete their metamorphism.