Reg-eyed tree frog

~ laura lecce
Red-eyed tree frog - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Red-eyed tree frog – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This glossy and colorful red-eyed tree frog lives in the jungle of Costa Rica. While visiting I attended a frog spotting tour which taught us how to listen for frog calls, spot the glistening eyes in our torch light and hopefully find the tiny frog making so much noise. It was harder than I thought! These frogs are very well camouflaged when they want to be. By tucking their orange toes under their belly and closing their eyes, the entire frog is as green as the leaf they’re sitting on. You can’t see it in this photo, but these frogs also have a fair bit of blue along the side of their body and upper arm which gets hidden when they tuck in their limbs. Their beautiful coloration and comical face makes them a very popular subject in animal photography. The bulging red eyes are great for startling predators who think they can make a meal out of a sleeping frog, and also signaling that this frog is not as tasty a meal as a predator might think. The eyes also help the frog swallow larger mouthfuls, this is done by pulling the eyes inwards which pushes the food down into their belly. I definitely had a great time observing some of the night activity that is usually only heard by humans.

For other posts from Costa Rica please click here.

9 thoughts on “Reg-eyed tree frog”

  3. Never ever astounds me of what I learn about next! I was thinking, boy, that little frog has such big eyes….why? and don’t they get bumped a lot? And who would ever guess those eyes helps with eating? lol I swear I learn so much from your blog. Thank you Laura for giving me some more facts to chew on and more photos to enjoy! We are moving towards humpday! enjoy the rest of your week.

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