Hedrick's coqui facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hedrick's coqui |
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The Hedrick's coqui is a small frog that lives only in Puerto Rico. It is also known as the treehole coqui. Its scientific name is Eleutherodactylus hedricki. This special frog belongs to the family Eleutherodactylidae.
These frogs live in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. They also make their homes in moist montane forests, which are forests found in mountains.
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Discovery of Hedrick's Coqui
This unique frog, E. hedricki, was first discovered in 1962. Finding a new frog species back then was quite rare.
The frog was named to honor Hedrick J. Rivero. He was only 9 years old at the time. Hedrick loved helping his father explore creeks, caves, and mountains. He would follow him day and night, acting as his assistant.
What Hedrick's Coqui Looks Like
Hedrick's coqui has some special features that make it stand out. It has a noticeable narrow part behind its head, almost like a "waist" there. A shallow line runs down its back, from between its eyes to near its lower back. Its snout, or nose area, is short and rounded.
Other things that help identify this frog include its small eyes with thin upper eyelids. Its back is covered in tiny bumps, making it feel grainy. It often has two light, curved lines on its back, though these can be hard to see on very dark frogs. Male frogs usually have a blackish throat. They also do not have dark stripes along the sides of their snout.
The main color of their back can be brown or dark gray. This color might be solid, or it might have faint patterns of lighter gray. Male frogs are about 32.8 millimeters long on average. Female frogs are a bit larger, averaging about 34.6 millimeters in length.
Where Hedrick's Coqui Lives and Its Call
The treehole coqui is a mountain-dwelling frog. It lives in trees, often resting and calling from holes and cracks in tree trunks and branches. These spots can be as high as 20 or 30 feet off the ground!
The call of E. hedricki sounds like a clear, ringing "ping, ping, ping." You might hear these frogs calling during the day. However, most of them become quiet by midnight. Their calls have not been heard in areas below about 1,000 feet in elevation.
Where to Find Hedrick's Coqui
This frog species is found in the lower parts of forests in the Luquillo Mountains. This area includes the El Yunque National Forest. They also live in the Cayey Mountain Range and the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico.
See also
- List of amphibians and reptiles of Puerto Rico
- Fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
