Leptopelis spiritusnoctis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leptopelis spiritusnoctis |
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The Leptopelis spiritusnoctis, also known as the "spirit of the night" frog, is a cool type of frog. It belongs to a family called Arthroleptidae. You can find these frogs living in West Africa. They live in many countries, from Guinea all the way to the Niger Delta in Nigeria. This includes places like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. For a while, people thought this frog was called Leptopelis hyloides. But scientists later found out that name actually belongs to a different frog, Leptopelis viridis.
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What's in a Name? The "Spirit of the Night" Frog
This frog has a super cool name: spiritusnoctis! It means "spirit of the night." This name comes from two Latin words. Noctu means "at night," and spiritus means "spirit" or "soul."
The name fits perfectly because these frogs are active at night. They make soft, buzzing sounds that you can hear all over the forest. This often happens during rainy nights.
Meet the Spirit of the Night Frog
These frogs come in different sizes. Male frogs are usually about 25 to 33 millimeters long. That's about the length of a small paperclip! Female frogs are bigger, measuring about 43 to 52 millimeters long.
Their skin color can change a lot. It can be light brown or even dark chocolate brown. The front part of their face and around their eyes is usually darker. They often have a dark triangle shape between their eyes. This triangle usually connects to a Y or U shape on their back. You might also see some scattered dark spots on them. Almost all of them have a dark blotch near their lower back.
The frog's eyes are really interesting! The top part of their eye, called the iris, can be silver-grey, yellow, or even red.
Tadpoles
The baby frogs, called tadpoles, look a bit like tiny eels. They are dark in color. They can grow to be about 34 millimeters long, or even bigger!
Where Do They Live?
The "spirit of the night" frog lives in different kinds of forests. These include evergreen forests, which stay green all year, and semi-deciduous forests, where some trees lose their leaves. They also live in forest areas found within savannas.
You can often find these frogs in wet places, especially near streams. They can even live in areas where the forest has been changed a lot by people.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
These frogs lay their eggs in very small puddles or temporary ponds. The eggs are laid in burrows near the water. After the eggs hatch, the tadpoles move into the water.
Conservation Status
Good news! The Leptopelis spiritusnoctis is a very common frog species. It is not currently facing any big threats. This means it's doing well in its natural habitat.
