Pristimantis danae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pristimantis danae |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
The Pristimantis danae is a type of frog that belongs to the Strabomantidae family. It is sometimes called the Cuzco robber frog. You can find this frog in the Andes mountains, specifically in southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia. It was named after Dana K. Duellman, the daughter of the person who first described the frog. She helped collect these frogs. Another frog, Pristimantis reichlei, which was discovered in 2009, was once mistaken for Pristimantis danae.
What Does It Look Like?
Male Pristimantis danae frogs usually grow to be about 27 to 34 millimeters (about 1 to 1.3 inches) long from their snout to their bottom. Females are a bit larger, growing to 38 to 46 millimeters (about 1.5 to 1.8 inches) long.
Their body is quite strong. Their head is a little longer than it is wide. The front part of their face, called the snout, looks rounded when you look at it from above or from the side. They have a clear eardrum, called a tympanum, which you can easily see.
Their front legs are thin, and their back legs are long and slender. Both their fingers and toes have special skin folds on the sides, called lateral fringes. They also have wide, flat pads at the tips of their fingers and toes, which help them grip surfaces. Their toes also have a small amount of webbing at the very bottom, near their feet.
The skin on their back, called the dorsum, feels a bit rough, like sandpaper. It can be yellowish-tan to a dark reddish-brown color, often with dark brown V-shaped patterns. Their belly is a pale yellow. The parts of their thighs that are usually hidden are dark brown with light yellow spots.
Where Does It Live?
The Pristimantis danae frog lives in tropical forests that get a lot of rain. These can be forests that have never been cut down (primary forests) or forests that are growing back after being disturbed (secondary forests). They live at heights between 500 and 1700 meters (about 1,640 to 5,577 feet) above sea level.
This common frog likes to sit on low plants in cloud forests at night. Cloud forests are special forests found in mountains where clouds often cover the trees. These frogs do not live in areas where humans have changed the land a lot, like farms or cities. They prefer natural, undisturbed places.
See Also
In Spanish: Pristimantis danae para niños
