Tag: wildlife

Common Name: Thao’s Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Zhangixalus thaoae
Family: Rhacophoridae – Asian Tree Frog family
Location: Vietnam, possibly China
Size: 1.26 inches (32.2 mm)

The Thao’s Tree Frog is a recently discovered frog from the Lao Cai Province of northwestern Vietnam. Researchers found the frogs a couple feet above the ground on some branches in an evergreen forest. Only males of the species have been observed / collected.

The species was named for the wife of the lead researcher of the study, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao. Without her love and support, he wouldn’t have been able to find the species. How sweet, unlike naming every species after David Attenborough.

Due to the species being new, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has not assessed the Thao’s Tree Frog yet. Researchers who discovered the frog didn’t think there was enough data to give a good suggestion for what the frog should be assessed as so they said it should be Data Deficient.

You can read the research paper at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379681873_Zhangixalus_thaoae_sp_nov_a_new_green_treefrog_species_from_Vietnam_Anura_Rhacophoridae

Common Name: Perez’s Snouted Frog
Scientific Name: Edalorhina perezi
Family: Leptodactylidae – Southern Frog family
Location: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Size: 0.9 – 1.4 inches (24 – 37 mm)

The Perez’s Snouted Frog blends into the leaf litter on the floor of the Amazonian lowlands of the east Andes.

During the mating season, male calls out from the forest floor to attract the females. Once the female shows up, the male grasps her from behind and around the armpits. This can last up to six days. Then, the female secretes a material that the male whips up into a foam nest. The nests are made at the holes of roots in fallen trees. The female lays between up to 40 eggs in the nest. The pair creates multiple nests. Once the eggs hatch, the tadpoles develop in the nests for 4 – 5 days until they become small froglets.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Perez’s Snouted Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a huge range and are thought to be common throughout it.

Common Name: Brilliant-thighed Poison Frog
Scientific Name: Allobates femoralis
Family: Aromobatidae – Cryptic Dart Frog family
Location: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela
Size: 1.1 – 1.4 inches (28 – 35 mm)

The Brilliant-thighed Poison Frog is a diurnal (active during the day) species found in the leaf litter of tropical forests. It is named after its brightly colored thighs. The male frogs are highly territorial and will fight males that come into their territory.

Mating occurs between November and April, peaking in January. The females lays between 8 – 17 eggs between leaves on the ground. The male sits and watch guard over the eggs until they hatch. Then, the male carry the tadpoles on their back to a pool of water where they will complete their metamorphosis.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Brilliant-thighed Poison Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range covering most of northern South America and are thought to be common throughout it. Deforestation threatens local populations but not the overall status of the frog.

Common Name: Colombian Four-eyed Frog, Sapito Lipon, or Stout Four-eyed Frog
Scientific Name: Pleurodema brachyops
Family: Leptodactylidae
Locations: Aruba, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Panama, and Venezuela
Introduced Locations: Curaçao, Klein Bonaire and Bonaire
Size: 2 inches (51 mm)

The frog gets its name from the two poison glands on their butt that resemble eyes. When threatened, the frog will raise its butt into the air to try to confuse the predator into thinking its their head.

During the dry season, the frog will burrow down in the soil to protect themselves from dehydration.

The breeding season for the frog is during the rainy season. The males will call from temporary ponds created by the rain or from small permanent ponds. The couple will create a foam nest to protect the eggs.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Columbian Four-eyed Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range and are common throughout it.

Common Name: Elegant Dancing Frog, Elegant Torrent Frog, Elegant Bush Frog
Scientific Name: Micrixalus elegans
Family: Micrixalidae – Dancing Frog family
Location: India
Female Size: 0.7 – 0.8 inches (7.7 – 21 mm)
Male Size: 0.51 – 0.61 inches (13 – 15.5 mm)

The Elegant Dancing Frog lives in the streams of mountains of the Western Ghats of India. The streams can be quite noisy so the frog uses an interesting way to communicate…. by dancing. Ok its not really a dance or at least a good one. It’s called foot flagging, where the frog sticks its foot out.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Elegant Dancing Frog as Vulnerable to Extinction. The streams where they live are in danger. Water is being diverted from the streams for irrigation systems while also agriculture is polluting the streams. Also, small dams are popping up up and down the stream.

Common Name: Myristica Swamp Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Mercurana myristicapalustris
Family: Rhacophoridae – Asian Tree Frog family
Location: India
Average Size: males – 1.4 inches (36.1 mm) : females – 2.5 inches (65.1 mm)

The Myristica Swamp Tree Frog lives in the Western Ghats. They are an arboreal frog, meaning they live up in the trees.

During the mating season May – June (pre monsoon season), males call from their specific perch around a depression in a ground. If a male encroaches on another male’s perch, the male will increase their calling to try to scare off the other male. If that doesn’t work, the male will try to kick (literally) the other male off.

Once a female arrives at the perch, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, the two travel down to the forest floor into the depression. The female frog digs a hole with her snout where she then lays her eggs. She lays around 130 eggs. The eggs hatch when the depression starts to fill with water.

The genus name Mercurana is in honor of the late great rocker, Freddy Mercury of the band Queen. However, they are the only frog in that genus.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Myristica Swamp Tree Frog as Endangered with Extinction. They have a small range that is severely fragmented. Luckily, some of their range occurs in protected areas. However, the areas outside the protected areas are being destroyed to make room for urban areas or farms.

Common Name: Venezuelan Pebble Toad
Scientific Name: Oreophrynella nigra
Family: Bufonidae – True Toad family
Locations: Venezuela
Size: Males: 0.65 – 0.93 inches (16.5 – 23.5 mm), Females: 0.80 – 1.18 inches (20.4 – 30 mm)

The Venezuelan Pebble Toad is found in open areas of bare limestone, blending in with their bland coloring. They are a diurnal species of toad, often found walking slowly around the rocks, instead of hopping.

The Venezuelan Pebble Toad has an interesting defense mechanism. When an predator approaches, the toad rolls up into a ball, and rolls away, acting like a pebble.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Venezuelan Pebble Toad as Vulnerable as Extinction. They only occur at the summits of Kukenán-tepui and Yuruaní-tepui of the Eastern Tepuis. It is believed that climate change will effect these areas and thus effect the toads.