Red-eyed tree frog

Red-eyed tree frogs live in Central America.

They live in rainforests near ponds and streams. They climb on leaves, branches and tree trunks.

Red-eyed tree frogs live in warm, humid forests from southern Mexico through Central America to Colombia. They stay close to ponds and other small pools of fresh water, because their tadpoles need water to grow.

Adults spend their lives up in the trees. They cling to branches, trunks and the undersides of leaves, and sometimes hide inside plants called bromeliads. In hot, dry weather they shelter under broad leaves closer to the forest floor.

The IUCN Red List records the species in eight countries: Mexico (in the southern and southeastern states), Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, from sea level to about 1,700 meters. It lives in lowland and foothill rainforest and the IUCN also records it in human-made habitats on land.

Ponds and pools are essential for breeding, because eggs are laid on vegetation overhanging the water and the tadpoles develop in it. Like other members of its genus, it loses water easily in heat, and the Animal Diversity Web links this to its nocturnal habits and its retreat to sheltered leaves near the ground in the dry season.

Red-eyed tree frogs eat bugs.

They catch crickets, flies and moths at night. A long, sticky tongue grabs the food.

Red-eyed tree frogs are carnivores, which means they eat other animals. Their food is mostly insects: crickets, flies, grasshoppers and moths. Sometimes they eat smaller frogs too.

They hunt at night, sitting still in the forest canopy and waiting for prey to come close. Then out shoots a long, sticky tongue to grab it.

Adults are nocturnal ambush predators. National Geographic describes them hiding in the canopy and catching crickets, flies and moths with a long, sticky tongue; the Rainforest Alliance adds grasshoppers and the occasional smaller frog, and the Animal Diversity Web lists mosquitoes.

Tadpoles feed very differently. After dropping into the water they become mid-water suspension feeders, taking in small particles as they hang in the water column, for a period of several weeks that varies with conditions. The Animal Diversity Web also reports that tadpoles sometimes eat one another.

Red-eyed tree frogs sleep in the day.

They wake up when it gets dark. Male frogs call to find a partner. Some frogs shake branches to send a message.

Red-eyed tree frogs are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. As darkness falls they wake up, climb and hunt among the leaves.

In the breeding season, males croak to attract females. These frogs can also send messages by shaking the branches they sit on, so other frogs feel the vibrations. Many animals hunt them, including snakes, birds, bats and spiders.

Activity is almost entirely nocturnal. Males call during the rainy season to attract females, and the Animal Diversity Web describes another channel: frogs shaking the branches they perch on, sending vibrations to other members of the species.

The species faces different predators at each stage. Eggs are eaten by snakes and wasps, tadpoles by freshwater shrimp and fish, and froglets and adults by snakes, birds, bats and spiders. Even the timing of hatching responds to this danger: the Animal Diversity Web reports that eggs hatch sooner where predation is heavier.

There are still many red-eyed tree frogs.

But the forests where they live are getting smaller. People protect forests so the frogs have homes.

The red-eyed tree frog is not endangered. Scientists list it as Least Concern. But its numbers are going down, because the rainforests where it lives are being cut down for farms, cattle, wood and houses.

The frog is also collected for the pet trade, and diseases have harmed many amphibians. Its famous face is often used to encourage people to protect rainforests, and protecting forests helps it and many other animals.

The IUCN assessed the species in 2016 as Least Concern, with a decreasing population trend and a continuing decline in the area and quality of its habitat. The threats it lists include clearing for housing, crops and livestock, logging, invasive species and diseases, and collection for the international pet trade. The species is listed in CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade.

Amphibians are sensitive to pollution and environmental change, so declines can be an early warning. The Animal Diversity Web names chytridiomycosis and ranavirus among the diseases that kill these frogs. Conservation work in parks across its range aims to keep the species common.