Leptodactylid Frogs: Leptodactylidae - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Leptodactylid Frogs And People, Conservation Status - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
species accounts south america
These frogs live in North, Central, and South America, as well as the West Indies. In North America, they can be found in Mexico and southernmost parts of the United States. One species, the gray four-eyed frog, lives farther south than any other species in the world: the Straits of Magellan at the southern tip of South America.
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With more than 1,100 species of leptodactylid frogs, this is a huge family that has many different-looking species. The smallest species grow only to 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) long from the tip of the snout to the back of the rump, while female helmeted water toads can reach as much as 12.8 inches (32 centimeters) long. Many species in this family have toadlike features, including short legs and w…
Although some species in this family are active during the daytime, most of them usually stay out of sight while the sun is shining and move about after dark. During the day, they typically hide under rocks or logs, inside dark cracks and burrows, or tucked into the leaves of plants. Some of the species, like the Surinam horned frog, have camouflage colors and eyebrow "horns" that he…
Physical characteristics: Also known as the horned frog, Amazonian horned frog, or packman frog, the Surinam horned frog is a large, fat-looking frog. Its round, rather flat body has the shape of a doughnut without the hole. Its wide head has an immense mouth that stretches from one side to the other, light tan eyes, and pointy eyebrows that resemble little horns. The body, which has small, scatte…
Physical characteristics: With a body that is shaped like a flat, round pillow and a mouth that reaches almost from front leg to front leg, Budgett's frog is an odd-looking animal. Its head is extremely wide and has no noticeable neck to tell where the head ends and the back begins. It has two cream-colored eyes with round pupils. The eyes are set close together on top of its flat head with…
Physical characteristics: The Rock River frog has a typical frog shape: long hind legs with long toes, shorter front legs and toes, and a slender body and head with large, bulging eyes. The toes on its unwebbed front and back feet end in slightly widened tips. Eardrums show on each side of its rather wide head, just behind the rust-colored eyes. The frog is tan to reddish brown on its head, back, …
Physical characteristics: Perez's snouted frog has a dark brown to black stripe running along each side and separating its gray or brown back and head from its bright white underside. Its head has a rounded snout and two tan or gray and copper eyes are outlined on top with thin, finger-like bumps that look almost like long eyelashes. Its white belly has black markings, and its back has ridg…
Physical characteristics: A large frog, the male South American bullfrog can grow to 7.3 inches (18 centimeters) long from snout to rump, while the female usually reaches 6.9 inches (17.6 centimeters) in length. It has a typical frog body with long, jumping hind legs, and shorter front legs. Its large head has a rounded snout with brown triangular patches on the upper lip, large eyes, and a notice…
Physical characteristics: True to its name, the gold-striped frog has two golden yellow stripes, each one running from its rounded snout above the brown eye and eardrum and down its slender, slightly warty back to the rump. Its legs are tan with black bands, often faded on the front legs, and end in unwebbed toes that are tipped with small pads. Small red blotches show at the top of the hind legs.…
Physical characteristics: The gray four-eyed frog gets its name from the two, large, dark-colored glands on its hips. When looking at the frog from the back end, the glands look somewhat like oval-shaped eyes. This species has a short, rounded snout, small eardrums, short and chubby front legs that have unwebbed toes, and longer hind legs with slightly webbed toes. Its upper body is brown, sometim…
Physical characteristics: Saggy skin is a very noticeable characteristic of the Patagonia frogs, but not all of them have it. Only the adults, which live in the water, develop the loose folds of skin on the sides of the body and on the thighs of the hind legs. The skin on younger frogs is not saggy. The upper side of the frog is tan to brown with tiny, darker brown speckles, and the underside is l…
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