Category: Amphibians
The Red-eyed tree is an arboreal inhabitant of tropical forests from Mexico through Central America to Columbia. They are a charismatic, brightly colored frog, but able to virtually disappear on green foliage by tucking their legs and closing their bright red eyes. The female lays her eggs on a leaf over a pond or puddle. The eggs normally hatch in 6-10 days, but they are sensitive to the vibrations caused by predators, storms, or floods, and can hatch early in order to improve survival rates. This is an adaptation known as phenotypic plasticity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agalychnis_callidryas
http://www.lllreptile.com/info/library/animal-care-sheets/amphibians/-/red-eyed-tree-frogs/
Only a Mother’s Love…
We are taught that toads leave their fertilized eggs in the water in long strings, which hatch into tadpoles, who live in the water until they grow legs and lungs and become toads. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, there always has to be an exception to the rule: the male Suriname toad implants eggs into the female’s back, which sink into her skin and forms pockets where the eggs eventually hatch into tadpoles. These tadpoles live on their mother’s back until transforming into toads, at which point they burrow out of her skin in a fascinating or horrifying (or both) display, depending on your perspective.
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