Blue-eyed aquatic treefrog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue-eyed aquatic treefrog |
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The Sarcohyla cyanomma, also known as the blue-eyed aquatic treefrog, is a type of frog. It belongs to the Hylidae family, which includes many treefrogs. This special frog is found only in Mexico. It lives on the northern side of Cerro Pelón, in the Sierra de Juárez mountains in northern Oaxaca. Sadly, scientists worry that this frog might now be extinct.
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What Does "Cyanomma" Mean?
The name cyanomma comes from two ancient Greek words. Kyanos means "blue," and omma means "eye." So, the frog's name literally means "blue-eyed." This name was chosen because of its unique blue eyes.
Meet the Blue-Eyed Treefrog
The blue-eyed aquatic treefrog is a large and strong frog. Adult males are about 52 to 56 millimeters long. Females are a bit bigger, measuring 52 to 65 millimeters. That's about the length of a small candy bar!
Colors and Features
This frog has a unique look. Its back is a plain olive-green color. It also has a few tiny, bright yellow spots. The olive-green color turns into a pale blue near its rear end. This blue color also appears along the outer edges of its forearms and lower legs.
The frog's belly and chin are greenish-yellow. Its outer toes and fingers are also this color. The underside of its limbs, including the inner toes and fingers, are a bright yellow-orange. Its eyes are a pale bluish-gray, which is how it got its name.
Special Body Parts
The frog's eardrum, called the tympanum, is partly or fully hidden. Its fingers have small amounts of webbing. Its toes, however, have more webbing, which helps it swim. Male frogs have a special thumb-like structure called a prepollex. It's enlarged but doesn't stick out.
Where This Frog Lives and Why It's Disappearing
The blue-eyed aquatic treefrog lives in beautiful, untouched cloud forests. These forests are often misty and have cool, clear streams. The streams are likely where these frogs lay their eggs and where their young grow. They are found at high places, between 2,640 and 2,670 meters above sea level.
Frog Behavior
At night, these frogs were seen resting at the bottom of large pools of water. Sometimes, only their heads were above the water. If something bothered them, they would quickly swim to deeper parts of the pool. During the day, they stayed near the same pools. But they often sat on rocks a few centimeters above the water.
Why Are They Gone?
The Sarcohyla cyanomma used to be quite common in its home. But the last time anyone saw or collected one was in 1980. This means it might now be extinct. The stream where it was first found is still in good condition. So, the frog's disappearance might be due to a frog disease called chytridiomycosis. This disease is caused by a fungus and is very dangerous to frogs worldwide.
Also, some of the frog's habitat (its natural home) in the area has been destroyed. This loss of habitat could have also played a part in the frog's decline. Scientists are working to understand what happened to this unique blue-eyed frog.
