Common Name:
Red-eyed tree frog
Scientific Name:
Agalychnis callidryas
Unique Qualities:
Most species of tree frogs are well camouflaged. Colours and textures help them blend in with their surroundings. Red-eyed tree frogs are no exception. They sleep with their bright red eyes and feet, and brilliant blue sides and thighs hidden from view. Their green bodies blend perfectly with the leaves they rest on. If a predator startles them, they leap and reveal a bright flash of colour that may confuse the predator.
Can be Seen:
The red-eyed tree frog can be found in tropical forests from southern Mexico through to eastern Panama.
Likes to Hang Out:Attached to leaves, branches or trunks of trees. They prefer the lowland rainforest areas close to rivers and nearby hills.
Likes to Eat:
Lots of invertebrates including flies, crickets and moths, and even smaller frogs. Since they are nocturnal amphibians, they usually hunt at night.
Status:
Red eyed tree frogs are not considered threatened in their natural environment. However there has been much concern about the overall condition of the rain forest habitat in which they reside. Global warming, deforestation, climatic and atmospheric changes, wetland drainage, and pollution have caused dramatic declines in the amphibian population in, and among the rainforests of Central and South America.
