All month long, we’re shining a spotlight on the crocodilians — crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials. These living fossils have roamed our planet since before the dinosaurs disappeared, and they’re still thriving in rivers, swamps, and coasts around the world today. Crocodilians aren’t just powerful predators — they’re also vital ecosystem engineers. From creating wetlands… Continue reading Croctober 2025
Author: Adam
New Granada Cross-banded Tree Frog (Smilisca phaeota)
photo by carnifex Common Name: New Granada Cross-banded Tree Frog, Masked Tree Frog, Tarraco Tree FrogScientific Name: Smilisca phaeotaFamily: Hylidae - Tree Frog familyLocation: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and PanamaFemale Size: 3 inches (7.6 cm)Male Size: 2 inches (5.0 cm) The New Granada Cross-banded Tree Frog is a nocturnal, arboreal species, sleeping on… Continue reading New Granada Cross-banded Tree Frog (Smilisca phaeota)
Mindo Harlequin Toad (Atelopus mindoensis)
photo by Jay Baumann Common Name: Mindo Harlequin Toad, Mindo Stubfoot ToadScientific Name: Atelopus mindoensisFamily: Bufonidae - True Toad familyLocation: EcuadorFemale Size: 1.0 - 1.1 inches (26.8 - 28.9 mm)Male Size: 0.7 - 0.8 inches (17.5 - 21.4 mm) The Mindo Harlequin Toad lives nearby streams in humid montane and tropical rainforests of Ecuador. They… Continue reading Mindo Harlequin Toad (Atelopus mindoensis)
Giant Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes interioris)
photo by inaturalist user: sbarton16 Common Name: Giant Banjo Frog, Giant Pobblebonk, Giant Bull FrogScientific Name: Limnodynastes interiorisFamily: Myobatrachidae - Australian Ground Frog familyLocation: Australia - New South WalesSize: 2.8 - 3.5 inches (7 - 9 cm) The Giant Banjo Frog spends its days burrowed under ground and comes up during the night to hunt.… Continue reading Giant Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes interioris)
Golden Eyed Tree Frog (Trachycephalus coriaceus)
photo by Vincent Rufray Common Name: Golden Eyed Tree Frog, Chocolate Milk Frog, Surinam Gold Eyed Milk Tree Frog, Surinam Casque-headed Tree Frog, Leathery Sticky FrogSpanish Name: Rana Arbórea Gomosa de CueroScientific Name: Trachycephalus coriaceusFamily: Hylidae - Tree Frog familyLocation: Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and SurinameFemale Size: 2.0 - 2.6 inches (53 - 65 mm)Male… Continue reading Golden Eyed Tree Frog (Trachycephalus coriaceus)
Caribbean White Lipped Frog (Leptodactylus albilabris)
photo by emanuel echevarria Common English Name: Caribbean White Lipped Frog, Antillean White Lipped FrogSpanish Name: Ranita de Labio Blanco, Sapito de Labio BlancoScientific Name: Leptodactylus albilabrisFamily: LeptodactylidaeLocation: British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin IslandsSize: 1.4 inches (36 mm) The Caribbean White Lipped Frog is a semi-aquatic frog, named after… Continue reading Caribbean White Lipped Frog (Leptodactylus albilabris)
Sao Tome Giant Reed Frog (Hyperolius thomensis)
photo by Luke Verburgt Common Name: Sao Tome Giant Reed Frog, Sao Tome Giant Tree FrogScientific Name: Hyperolius thomensisFamily: Hyperoliidae - African Reed Frog familyLocation: Sao TomeFemale Size: 1.6 - 1.9 inches (42 - 49 mm)Male Size: 1.4 - 1.6 inches (36 - 41 mm) The Sao Tome Giant Reed Frog is the largest species… Continue reading Sao Tome Giant Reed Frog (Hyperolius thomensis)
Iberian Green Frog (Pelophylax perezi)
photo by Frank Sengpiel Common Name: Iberian Green Frog, Perez's Frog, and Coruna FrogScientific Name: Pelophylax pereziFamily: Ranidae - True Frog familyLocation: France, Gibraltar, Spain, and PortugalIntroduced Locations: the Azores, Balearic Islands, United Kingdom, Canary Islands, and MadeiraSize: 1.6 - 4.0 inches (40 - 100 mm) The Iberian Green Frog is native to the Iberian… Continue reading Iberian Green Frog (Pelophylax perezi)
Toads and Frogs of Bahrain
Bahrain is home to only one frog species and zero toads! For a small island nation that is mostly desert, that's not bad. Common Name:Â Marsh FrogScientific Name:Â (Pelophylax ridibundus) The Marsh Frog lives and breeds in fresh water springs around the main island. However, over use of the Damman Aquifer has decreased the stream's fresh water… Continue reading Toads and Frogs of Bahrain
Kirthisinghe’s Rock Frog (Nannophrys marmorata)
photo by Sanjaya Kanishka Common Name: Kirthisinghe's Rock Frog, Marbled Streamlined FrogScientific Name: Nannophrys marmorataFamily: Dicroglossidae - Forked Tongue FamilyLocation: Sri LankaFemale Size: 1.8 inches (45.1 mm)Male Size: 1.4 inches (35.4 mm) The Kirthisighe's Rock Frog lives in the streams and moist grassy areas of the eastern Knuckle Mountain range. The area has a short… Continue reading Kirthisinghe’s Rock Frog (Nannophrys marmorata)