Tree Frog

Family Hylidae

Amphibian

Transcript:

Today on animal fact files we’re talking about tree frogs. Now the common name “tree frog” could really be in reference to any arboreal frog species - arboreal in this case, of course, meaning tree-living. That name could include frogs like glass frogs or even flying frogs - both being animals we’ve previously discussed; but just because a frog spends most of its time in the trees doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s closely related to other arboreal frogs - I mean, glass frogs and flying frogs aren’t closely related at all - and even those groups can get a little convoluted. So, for simplicity’s sake, we’re going to be discussing “true” tree frogs in today’s episode and we’ll save some of the other tree frog groups for future videos. Of course, it can never be too simple, so we think it’s important to note that not necessarily all tree frogs classified in the “true” tree frog family actually… live… in… trees. But we don’t make the rules and scientific classification does not usually correlate to animals’ common names, so we’re just going with it!

True tree frogs are found throughout most of the world, though there’s a distinct lack of them in a vast majority of Africa. Tree frogs are specifically the most species dense in the Americas. While many of the around 700 species of tree frog classified in the “true” tree frog family spend most if not all of their lives in trees, some do live in water, on the ground, or even under it.

Some Australian tree frogs are wholly terrestrial while burrowing tree frogs spend part of their lives buried below the dirt. One of the defining characteristics of a “true” tree frog, however, are their claw-shaped toes. These frogs also have adhesive toe discs that can aid in tree climbing as well as extra cartilage between the last toe bones of each of their toes which makes their toes more flexible, though this trait isn’t wholly specific to “true” tree frogs. These frogs live in temperate and tropical forests, deserts, and even mountain landscapes. In the winter in colder areas, tree frogs may hide under leaf litter or rocks. Some species, like grey tree frogs can even withstands freezing, not unlike the wood frogs we’ve discussed previously.

Male tree frogs will make calls like those in the background of this video. They make these calls from various perches in the trees or near water. Like other frog species, tree frogs hatch from eggs as tadpoles and then the aquatic tadpoles develop overtime into the adult frog form. Tree frogs may lay their eggs directly in water, on leaves overhanging water, in logs, and some species may even carry their babies on their backs though recent classification has moved many of these species into a different family.

In the case of eggs that are laid on leaves, sometimes the young inside are even able to tell the difference between the vibration of a wasp landing on the leaf and the vibration of a simple rain drop. If a wasp lands, the developing young may choose to hatch early to avoid predation from the wasp! Of course, they aren’t completely safe in the water, either, as tree frogs and their tadpoles may be taken by reptiles, fish, and large aquatic insects. In other species that lay their eggs on leaves, the mother frog may stick around and urinate on her eggs to keep them moist. There are even some tree frogs who seem to defy the laws of nature with their tadpoles reaching four times the size of the adults. These are known as paradoxical frogs! In a group of hundreds of species, there are bound to be some oddballs.

In size tree frogs range from half an inch to five and a half inches in length (17-140mm). Some come in drab browns and greys while others are bright, saturated hues. Heck, even some of their tadpoles can be colorful which is a rarity in the frog world! There are also tree frogs with fancy snoots who live in tree burrows and use their oddly shaped heads to keep moisture sealed in their homes. Tree frogs generally eat insects and other invertebrates, but some of the larger species may eat small vertebrates like lizards.

For more facts on “true” tree frogs, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Matthew for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.