Bamboo or Thai Tree Frog (Polypedates leucomystax)
Bamboo or Thai Tree Frog (Polypedates leucomystax). Scientific name: Polypedates leucomystax Country: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Province of China, Thailand, Vietnam. Continent: Asia Diet: Insects - insectivore Food & feeding: Carnivore Habitats: Scrub forest, tropical rainforest, urban Conservation status: Not Threatened Relatives: Marbled milk frog, red-eyed tree frog Description: The head is large and flat, the eyes big and bulging with horizontal pupils. A fold of skin extends from the rear corner of the eye through the external eardrum (or 'tympanum') to the shoulder. There are broad adhesive pads on the tips of the toes. The back may be uniformly olive or reddish-yellow, or with dark patches. On the back of the head between the eyes, there is almost always a dark 'W' shaped mark. Total length 4-8 cm. Lifestyle: This is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) species, which spends the day hidden among the foliage or in tree cavities. At night, it comes out and climbs the branches in search of food, mainly insects. Family & friends: Males gather around breeding areas and many may call at the same time. Keeping in touch: Male frogs in the breeding season make a low-pitched nasal quack. Growing up: In the breeding season the pair, in a mating embrace (or 'amplexus'), build a foam nest on leaves overhanging water. After fertilisation, the eggs are laid in these nests and after hatching the foam begins to liquefy. The newly-hatched tadpoles fall into the water and complete their larval development there. Conservation news: This is an adaptable species that seems to do well in disturbed areas and is often found near houses, nesting above rice paddies, gullies and drains. This frog's eggs hatch out into a bubble bath! The mass of froth is produced by the adults during egg laying. It helps to protect the eggs from drying out. Once the eggs have hatched, the tadpoles slide out of the nest.
Size: 5120px × 3407px
Photo credit: © Élan Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: amphibian, amphibians, animal, bamboo, brown, format, forrest, frog, frogs, green, landscape, leaves, leucomystax, polypedates, sitting, thai, tree, wild, yellow, zoo
