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/
An Ample Amphibian
Before reptiles and mammals appeared to challenge amphibian supremacy on the land, amphibians were much larger. But while they have shrunk in size over the last 315 million years, the Chinese Giant Salamander never got the memo: at up to 5.9 feet in length and 66lbs, this amphibian is longer than your dog, and probably weighs at least as much! Compare that to Paedophryne amanuensis, the world’s smallest frog (and smallest vertebrate) who is the size of a house fly! Due to habitat loss, environmental changes, and over-hunting/collecting, the Chinese giant Salamander is critically endangered, though conservation efforts to save it are underway today.
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