Common Mexican tree frog
The Mexican tree frog, common Mexican tree frog, Van Vliet's frog, Mexican smilisca, Baudin's tree frog or tooter (Smilisca baudinii) is a frog that lives in Mexico and parts of Texas and Costa Rica. Scientists have seen it as high as 1601 meters above sea level; it can live in forests, coastal areas and places that are a little dry.[3][1][4]
| Common Mexican tree frog | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hylidae |
| Genus: | Smilisca |
| Species: | S. baudini
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| Binomial name | |
| Smilisca baudini (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)
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| Synonyms[3] | |
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Appearance
changeThe adult male frog is about 76 mm long from nose to rear end and the adult female frog can be 90 mm long. It has a flat head and large eyes. The frogs can be different colors: green, brown, or light brown. It has patches of darker color. There is yellow and black color on the upper legs. The hind feet have a lot of webbing and the front feet have some webbing. The belly is light in color. The adult male frog has a dark throat and the adult female frog has a light throat.[1]
Life cycle
changeThese frogs lay eggs after it rains, at any time of year. The males wait near temporary bodies of water and sing for the females. The females sometimes lay eggs in shallow limestone basins. The eggs sit on the top of the water in a film. The tadpoles are brown with a lighter stripe.[1]
Behavior
changeAdult Mexican tree frogs hide during the day in the shade or under tree bark.[4] They look for food at night. They eat insects, spiders and other animals with no spines. People have seen Mexican tree frogs in the tops of palm trees.[1]
Both male and female frogs make a high sound when they see a animal that wants to eat them. The male frog makes a "wonk wonk wonk" sound when he sings for the female frog.[1]
This frog can make a cocoon.[1] This frog sheds the skin cells on the very outside of its body. The cocoon stops water from leaving the frog's body.[5][6][7]
Threats
changeSnakes like to eat this frog.[1]
Scientists think this frog is good at living near humans, but there are some places where people have not seen the frog for a long time.[1]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 John H. Malone. "Smilisca baudini: Common Mexican Treefrog, Mexican Treefrog, Mexican Smilisca". Amphibiaweb. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ↑ Georgina Santos-Barrera; Geoffrey Hammerson; Gerardo Chaves; Larry David Wilson; Federico Bolaños; Paulino Ponce-Campos (2010). "Smilisca baudinii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T56006A11405400. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T56006A11405400.en. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Smilisca baudini (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)". Amphibian Species of the World 6.0, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Common Mexican Tree Frog". National Geographic. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ↑ Rodolfo Ruibal; Stanley Hillman (October 31, 1981). "Cocoon Structure and Function in the Burrowing Hylid Frog, Pternohyla fodiens". Journal of Herpetology. 15 (4). Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles: 403–407. doi:10.2307/1563529. JSTOR 1563529. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ↑ "Cocoon forming desert frogs". Terrestrial Ecosystems. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ↑ Roy W. McDiarmid; Mercedes S. Foster (1987). "Cocoon formation in another hylid frog, Smilisca baudinii". Journal of Herpetology. 21 (4): 352–355. doi:10.2307/1563984. JSTOR 1563984. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
