The tree frog has a lot of unusual and special things about its appearance. Tree frogs are kind of big compared to other frogs like it. A common size tree frog grows up to be about 3 to 4 ½ inches. But something different about them is that the females are always a little bit larger than the males. Females can reach up to 4 inches long, out-sizing the males by about an inch.

Some dumpy tree frogs are light bluish green to emerald green that has more of a white coloration. But the normal color of a tree frog is jade green. So, even though caerulea means “dark blue” that’s not its original color. Although some blue tree frogs are lucky with that appearance because they can be camouflaged in dark places for protection.

The skin is covered with a thick outer layer of skin that allows it to retain moisture as an adaptation to non-moisture areas on it. They also have these ridges (or eye-lid look-alike things) that form over their eyes. Some other small tree frogs’ ridges are not as well developed as those of an adult.

These tree frogs have enormous toe pads. Their fingers are a little bit webbed, but their toes are almost completely webbed. Also, the second finger is longer than the first one. You can also tell a female from a male because a male is more slender and has a grayish wrinkled vocal sac underneath the throat; but the females have white on the throat. Their pupils are also horizontal, when most frogs’ pupils are vertical. It also has been given the name “White’s Tree Frog” because it goes after the name, John White, which described this species. Or called the “Dumpy Tree Frog” because most tree frogs are overweight which makes them have fat layers over the top of the head and body. Or it’s just simply called the “Green Tree Frog.”

During the day, Green Tree Frogs are found in cool, dark, and moist areas sleeping. They are also nocturnal and come out in early evenings (durring summer and spring) to hunt at night. They are well known for inhabiting water sources inside grasslands in cooler areas. They are found in trees. Although they always need water or moisture for their skin so they can breathe, they can live in a dry forest too. Leaves carry water and the tree frogs get moisture from that. They are also well known for inhabiting water sources like sinks and toilets. Green Tree Frogs can be found even on your window eating insects. They can be found in other watered places such as gutters, downspouts, and tanks. But they are usually found in downspouts or tanks during mating season.

The males make a low "crawk, crawk, crawk," sound to find a female mate. The Green Tree Frogs not only make that sound to attract a female, but to tell other frogs that another organism is going to eat him. They do well in their ecosystem because they get all the moisture and fresh water they need to survive and are able to rest in peace without being disturbed. Some parts of the world they are found in is in northern and southern regions of Australia and to southern New Guinea. This species has also been introduced to the United States and New Zealand. The best place for a Green Tree Frog to live in is a warm, wet tropical climate.

No one really knows the exact count of how many Tree Frogs there are. But there are only small populations of them around the world. Like in Florida, it,s population is shrinking because of a pet trade. In New Zealand there was once a big population but there haven’t been any sightings since the 1950s. The Green Tree Frogs are not considered endangered right now. But their population is decreasing because a lot of their habitats are getting destroyed. Also some frogs have been found with infections and diseases because of polutants in their habitat. But because of their long life expectancy, their population might grow.

A tree frog’s diet is insects such as cockroaches, crickets, flies, mice, grasshoppers, spiders, etc. A Green Tree Frog can also eat smaller frogs and even smaller mammals. But they mainly eat spiders. If they eat the wrong ones, like the poisonous ones, they will obviously get sick. Also if a spider eats another insect that is sick and contagious, then the Green Tree Frog that eats that spider will become sick and contagious too (not only the spider). Frogs don’t use their teeth to eat with. They use their sticky tongue, which the prey sticks on to, and is consumed. For larger prey, though, the frog pushes it into its mouth to fit. These tree frogs love to eat! So when they are hungry, they really go for it. They usually don’t compete for food, but sometimes they compete with other frogs for prey.

A few native species such as snakes, lizards, and birds feed on Green Tree Frogs. Birds are the most dangerous predators to the Green Tree Frog. They evade being eaten depending on the color of their skin. Some have dark blue skin which lets them camouflage in dark places.

These frogs have a life expectancy of about 16 years. Some have been known to live over 20 years in captivity because they were safe from predators. One thing that is interesting is that these tree frogs earned the name “Dumpy Tree Frog” because of the waxy blue-green color and rolling skin folds of fatty materials. Speaking of colors, it is said that a frog can turn a different color once in a while from bright green to khaki-green depending on the mood of the frog (like a mood ring). Also White’s Tree Frog can’t jump up high like regular frogs. They only jump when they are startled.

Author: Cheryll C
Published: 02/2007

Bibliography:
“Animal Diversity Web.” 4 Feb. 2007

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts /information/Litoria_caerulea.html.

 

“Wikipedia.” 4 Feb. 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White's_Tree_Frog.

 
“Animal World.” 4 Feb. 2007 http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reptiles/amphibians/images/frogs_toads/