Forest green tree frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Forest green tree frog |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Rhacophoridae |
| Genus: | Zhangixalus |
| Species: |
Z. arboreus
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| Binomial name | |
| Zhangixalus arboreus (Okada & Kawano, 1924)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Zhangixalus arboreus, also known as the forest green tree frog or Kinugasa flying frog, is a special type of frog. It belongs to the Rhacophoridae family. This frog is found only in Japan. You can find it on Honshu island. It lives in places from 10 to 2350 meters above sea level.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
Adult male frogs are about 42-60 mm long. That's about 1.6 to 2.3 inches. Female frogs are bigger, about 59-82 mm long. This is about 2.3 to 3.2 inches.
These frogs have special webbed skin on their front feet. It's more webbed than their back feet. Their back skin is bright green. Sometimes it has small spots. The skin on their belly is white. It often has brown spots. Their eyes have a cool red-brown color.
Where It Lives and How It Grows
The forest green tree frog lives in warm, wet forests. It also likes freshwater marshes. You can find it in irrigated farm lands too. These small tree frogs spend their adult lives in trees. They live in forests.
During breeding season, they gather near water. This is where they mate. They lay their eggs in a foamy batch. This foam looks like a sponge. The foam hangs from a tree branch. It's usually over a pond or stream.
When the tadpoles hatch, they wiggle out of the foam. Then they drop into the water below. You can often see these foam nests. They hang over ponds in the Japanese countryside. This happens in late spring. Sometimes, frogs make a mistake. They lay eggs over places like swimming pools. They might even use wells or buckets of rainwater.
Frogs and People
You don't often see this tree frog as a pet. Most of these frogs were caught in the wild. But more people are now breeding them. This is happening in Japan and South Korea. These frogs are bred for the pet trade. In 2023, the Zhangixalus arboreus was bred in the UK. This was the first time it happened there. Gary Miller, a zoo head, did it.
People also visit places where these frogs breed. They like to watch the frogs in their natural home.
What Harms These Frogs?
Experts say this frog is "least concern" for extinction. This means it's not in much danger. It lives in a very large area. There are reports of it on Hokkaido island. But it's not clear if they live there naturally. It might be pet frogs that escaped.
 | George Robert Carruthers |
 | Patricia Bath |
 | Jan Ernst Matzeliger |
 | Alexander Miles |
