Common Name: Coronated Tree Frog, Spiny-headed Tree Frog, or Crowned Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Triprion spinosusÂ
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Locations: Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama
Size: 3.14 inches (88 mm) for females, 2.7 inches (68 mm) for males
The Coronated Tree Frog is a nocturnal, arboreal frog found in the cloud forests of Central America and Mexico. They are capable of living 10 to 15 years long. The frogs are found in the bromeliads, banana plants, and other plants or trees, making them hard to find. They rarely leave the trees, even breeding in them. The male frogs call from water-filled tree holes, bamboo internodes, and bromeliad leaf axils. The call sounds like boop boop boop. Once a female frog is attracted to the call, she comes in and she lays her eggs in there. She can lay between 50 to 300 eggs are laid at a time. Most of the eggs do not hatch and are eaten by the tadpoles that have hatched already. After the eggs hatch, the female will return to the tadpoles and lay unfertilized eggs for the tadpoles to eat. If the father of the tadpoles if present when the female comes back, they will reproduce again but those eggs will also be eaten by the tadpoles.
The Coronated Tree Frog can be found in the pet trade though they are uncommon. They can be group housed but males can get a little too aggressive towards females.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assess the Coronated Tree Frog as Near Threated with Extinction. The frog has a had population decline of at least 30% over the last 10 years. It’s habitat continues to clear cut to make room for more farms.