Red-Eyed Tree Frog
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| Red-eyed tree frog Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||||
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| Missing image Agalychnis_callidryas.jpg Red-eyed tree frog | ||||||||||||||||
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| Agalychnis callidryas Cope, 1862 |
The red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is a small (50-75 mm / 2-3 inches) tree frog native to rainforests of Central America.
Redeyefrog.jpg
Red-eyed tree frogs spend their days sleeping in the foliage, where their lustrous green skin camouflages them perfectly. At night, they come out to prey on small insects. Tree frogs lay their eggs in a gelatinous goo on the underside of leaves. In one or two weeks, the tadpoles hatch and wriggle until they drop off the leaf into a pool of water below, where they metamorphose into frogs. During their tadpole stage, their colors can change like a chameleon's, in response to their environmental conditions or their emotional state.
Recent research has indicated that a chemical secreted by the red-eyed tree frog can be used as a prophylactic to inhibit the spread of AIDS and other diseases, and may have more extensive implications.