Green-Eyed Tree Frog
21.20
Map
Green-Eyed Tree Frog Range
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Amphibian
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Size:
- 2.8 in (7 cm)
- Group name:
- Army
- Did you know?
- The green-eyed tree frog’s previous scientific name was serratta, which more closely describes the serrated skin flaps along the edges of its legs.
- Size relative to a tea cup:
-
The green-eyed tree frog has adapted its appearance to blend in with the moss-covered rain forests of Queensland, Australia. The frogs' coloration and markings vary with their specific habitat, but they usually have a brownish-green body with rust-colored blotches that match the lichen-covered rocks lining the creeks and streams they tend to live near.
This species gets its name not for green eyes per se, but rather for a line of brilliant green that often adorns the brow of each eye. They are also distinguishable by a row of skin flaps along their arms and legs, which resembles a serrated knife.
Females, which are significantly larger than males, grow to about 2.8 inches (7 centimeters). Males, which emit a mating call that sounds like a quiet tap-tap-tap, max out at about 1.8 inches (5 centimeters).
Green-eyed tree frogs are abundant in the rugged wet tropics of northeast Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef. Their population is healthy in the region's lower elevations, but, for unknown reasons, may have disappeared completely from the higher-altitude areas. They have suffered serious declines in the past, possibly due to a fungus or virus, but their numbers have rebounded, and they are not currently threatened or endangered.
Golden Poison Dart Frog ( Phyllobates Terribilis )
20.58
Map
Golden Poison Dart Frog Range
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Amphibian
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Average life span in captivity:
- 10 years
- Size:
- 1 in (2.5 cm)
- Weight:
- Less than 1 oz
- Group name:
- Army
- Protection status:
- Endangered
- Did you know?
- The only natural predator of the golden poison dart frog is Leimadophis epinephelus, a snake that has developed a resistance to the frog's poison.
- Size relative to a paper clip:
-
The golden poison dart frog is considered one of the most toxic animals on Earth. A single specimen measuring two inches (five centimeters) has enough venom to kill ten grown men. Indigenous Emberá people of Colombia have used its powerful venom for centuries to tip their blowgun darts when hunting, hence the species' name.
These brightly colored amphibians are among the largest of the more than 100 poison dart frog species, averaging more than one inch (two and a half centimeters) in length. They live within a tiny plot of rain forest on the Pacific coast of Colombia. And though the population in its small range is abundant, widespread decimation of the rain forest has landed this species on international endangered lists.
Their coloring, which can be yellow, orange, or pale green, depending on their particular range, is deliberately ostentatious to ward off potential predators, a tactic called aposematic coloration. Their diet includes flies, crickets, ants, termites, and beetles.
Scientists are unsure of the source of this frog's amazing toxicity, but it is possible they assimilate plant poisons, which are carried by their prey. Poison dart frogs raised in captivity and isolated from insects in their native habitat never develop venom.
The medical research community has been exploring possible medicinal uses for the golden poison dart frog's venom. They have already developed a synthetic version of one of the venom's compounds that has promise as a powerful painkiller.
Cane Toad ( Bufo Marinus )
20.46
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Amphibian
- Diet:
- Omnivore
- Average life span in the wild:
- 5 to 10 years
- Size:
- 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)
- Weight:
- 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
- Group name:
- Knot or nest
- Did you know?
- An Australian government entomologist named W.W. Froggatt nearly succeeded in halting the release of cane toads in Australia in 1935.
- Size relative to a tea cup:
-
The much maligned venomous cane toads earned their bad reputation shortly after being released into the Australian ecology in 1935 with the hope that they would control the destructive cane beetle population. They turned out to be failures at controlling beetles, but remarkably successful at reproducing and spreading themselves.
About 3,000 cane toads were released in the sugarcane plantations of north Queensland in 1935. They now number well into the millions, and their still expanding range covers thousands of square miles in northeastern Australia. They are considered pests, and government eradication efforts include asking residents to help collect and dispose of them.
Cane toads are large, stocky amphibians with dry, warty skin, and are native to the southern United States, Central America, and tropical South America. Their numbers are manageable in their natural range, but they have thrived in Australia because there are few natural predators, they breed easily, and they have abundant food, including pet food, which they steal from feeding bowls left outside of homes.
Their effects on Australia's ecology include the depletion of native species that die eating cane toads; the poisoning of pets and humans; depletion of native fauna preyed on by cane toads; and reduced prey populations for native insectivores, such as skinks.
Cane toad venom is a mix of toxins that primarily affects the functioning of the heart. It is present throughout their bodies and is secreted as a milky liquid from the parotoid glands located over the toad's shoulders. Envenomation is painful, but rarely deadly to humans, although some people have died from eating cane toads and even their eggs.
