Taipei Zoo’s Amphibian and Reptile House yesterday announced that Fleischmann’s glass frogs at the zoo had laid a clutch of eggs that had metamorphosed and were taking to the trees, their natural habitat.
The frogs, like other glass frogs, are named for their near-translucent skin. Fleischmann’s glass frogs, or Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, are most commonly found in the tropical forests of Central and South America, and are nocturnal and arboreal, the zoo said.
The frogs are small and delicate, with adults growing to 2cm to 3cm in length, it said, adding that they are adept at climbing.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
It is interesting to see them open their eyes, it said. Watching their large, protruding eyes emerge looks a lot like pop-up headlights opening on a car.
The primarily green frogs can change color with their surroundings, providing them with excellent camouflage, the zoo said.
Their reproduction practices are interesting, with the female frog typically laying a clutch of eggs on the underside of a leaf near a stream, the zoo said.
Once the tadpoles hatch, they drop into the water, where they burrow into mud until they have matured into young frogs, at which point they take to the trees, the zoo said.
The average hatching time is two to three weeks, while it takes five or six months for the tadpole to metamorphose into a frog, the zoo said.
The current batch of junior frogs have all resumed arboreal life, although it would take sharp eyes to spot them given their size, the zoo said.
Glass frogs tend to sit on the undersides of leaves, which helps them hide from predators, it said.
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