Splendid Leaf Frogs

Hiding in plain sight!


It was a cold morning today for Valentine's Day, but we had a lot of excited guests crowded around the frog exhibits! The highlight of this week's Sunday frog feeding tour, for me, was the Splendid Leaf Frogs. They really have the life! Most of them don't even wake up for their food, which is conveniently fed to them on foreceps.

Cruziohyla calcarifer, the Splendid leaf frog

Unlike many frogs, these leaf frogs grasp food in their front hands and stuff it into their mouths. This can be quite dramatic, as it was today. One of the males was hanging upside-down from a leaf while rather ungracefully stuffing a cricket in its mouth. Moments later, that same frog was fast asleep—back on its leaf.

I couldnt get a picture of that spectacle (I was busy with the foreceps) but here are some photos of these beautiful frogs—truly splendid.

Hope to see you there next time—11 am every Saturday in the conservatory lobby!

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