Reticulated leaf frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Reticulated leaf frog |
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The reticulated leaf frog (Pithecopus ayeaye) is a special type of frog that lives only in Brazil. It's also called the reticulate leaf frog. This frog is known for its bright green back and cool patterns on its sides. It lays its eggs on leaves above water, so when the tadpoles hatch, they drop right into the streams or pools below.
This unique frog lives in areas where two types of forests meet: the cerrado (a kind of tropical woodland) and the Atlantic semi-deciduous forest. Sadly, the reticulated leaf frog is facing threats. Its home is being lost due to mining and fires. Pollution from mining and pesticides also harms it. Because it lives in a small area, these threats make it very vulnerable.
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What Does the Reticulated Leaf Frog Look Like?
The reticulated leaf frog is a medium-sized frog. It can grow to be about 28.7 to 40 millimeters long. That's roughly the size of your thumb! It weighs between 1.89 and 7.5 grams.
Its back is a bright green color. The sides of its body and its legs have a cool pattern. This pattern looks like a network of black lines with reddish or orange spots. Its belly is a dark black or gray.
Baby Frogs: Tadpoles
Baby reticulated leaf frogs, called tadpoles, have long, oval bodies. Their sides are flat. The end of their tail curves upwards. Their heads are bigger than their tails and have large eyes. The top of their body is dark, while their belly is a light gray.
Where Do Reticulated Leaf Frogs Live?
The reticulated leaf frog is native to South America. It lives in Brazil, specifically in the Espinhaco, Mantiqueira, and Canastra mountain ranges.
Its home includes mountains with rivers flowing between them. Streams run through the semi-deciduous forests. These forests provide the frogs with water, shade, and protection from the sun and predators.
How Do Reticulated Leaf Frogs Communicate?
Male reticulated leaf frogs make different calls. These calls can share specific information or many different messages at once.
One type of call is the "advertisement call." Males use this call to get the attention of female frogs. They also use it to warn other males to stay away from their area. Another call is the "release call." Males use this call if another male tries to mate with them, or when they are fighting.
Scientists have studied these calls. They found that at breeding sites, most males start their calls with short sounds. As more males join in, their calls become more complex. They start using both short and long sounds.
The Life Cycle of the Reticulated Leaf Frog
The breeding season for these frogs is from October to January. During this time, male frogs sit on plants next to a stream. They call out to attract females.
Most Pithecopus ayeaye frogs breed on nights when there is enough rain. This rain helps make sure the eggs are fertilized. The tadpoles hatch from November to December. They grow up between October and May. By June, they are fully grown frogs.
Where Frogs Lay Their Eggs
Female frogs like to lay their eggs on plants from the Melastomataceae and Solanaceae families. The leaves of these plants have tiny hairs called trichomes. These hairs help keep the eggs from drying out. They also stop the eggs from sticking too much to the leaf.
What Threats Do Reticulated Leaf Frogs Face?
The reticulated leaf frog is currently in danger because it is losing its home. Many threats come from human activities.
- Mining: People mine for materials in Brazil, which destroys the frog's habitat.
- Fires: Fires often burn across the landscape, destroying forests where the frogs live.
- Pollution: Industries and military activities cause pollution. This pollution gets into the water, which harms the frog population.
- Tourism and City Growth: More tourists and growing cities also affect the areas where these frogs breed.
Other threats are not caused by humans. These include climate change and erosion. Erosion causes streams to fill up with dirt and mud, which can harm the tadpoles.
What is Their Conservation Status?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) once listed the reticulated leaf frog as "critically endangered." This means it was at a very high risk of disappearing forever. However, this assessment was done a long time ago, in 2009, and published in 2016.
Since then, new groups of Pithecopus ayeaye have been found in other parts of Brazil. Because of these new discoveries, the Brazilian List of Endangered Species changed its status in 2014. It is no longer considered critically endangered by Brazil.
How Are We Protecting Them?
Currently, there are no specific conservation plans just for this colorful frog. However, it lives in some protected areas. These areas include the Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra in Minas Gerais state. It also lives in the Parque Estadual das Furnas do Bom Jesus in São Paulo state. Being in these parks helps give the frogs some protection.
