One of the 47 frogs on WAnimals
Amphibians · Anura · Phyllomedusidae
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The red-eyed tree frog is an anuran amphibian of the family Hylidae that lives from eastern Honduras to north-western Colombia. Its scientific name comes from the Greek (aga), meaning 'full of', (lychnos) 'bright', while the species name refers to (kallos) 'beauty' and (dryas) 'tree nymph'. Most striking are its large red eyes with vertical pupils. As adults they are brightly coloured all over the body. Green predominates, but they usually show other colours such as blue or yellow. The forelimbs are bright blue, while the hind limbs are red or orange. The colouring of this frog is very eye-catching. The male is smaller than the female: 56 mm against 71 mm. They are nocturnal and arboreal.
Size
4 cm – 7 cm
Lifespan
5 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- reproducciónIt lays its eggs on leaves overhanging pools, and the tadpoles hatch and drop straight into the water when they feel the vibrations of an approaching predator.
- Its embryos decide when to hatch: if a snake attacks the clutch, the tadpoles sense the vibration and hatch all at once up to three days early, dropping into the water to escape. They can tell a predator's vibration from that of rain or wind.
- Its colouring is what is known as startle coloration: by day it is entirely green and invisible, and when disturbed it snaps open its red eyes and flashes its blue and orange flanks, a burst that throws the predator long enough for it to leap away.
- It lays its eggs on leaves overhanging the water, and on hatching the tadpoles drop straight into the pool.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
- Habitat & environment
- Vegetation over pools and streams in lowland rainforest of Central America
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 7 days of egg development on leaves
- Litter / clutch size
- 40 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agalychnis_callidryas
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Red-eyed Treefrog — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Water Opossum
Chironectes minimus
Common Silky Anteater
Cyclopes didactylus
Cane Toad
Rhinella marina
Green and Black Poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Strawberry Poison Frog
Oophaga pumilio
Tungara Frog
Physalaemus pustulosus
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