Welcome back to Day 2 of Wild Frog Facts.  Yesterday we looked at a small frog that represents the beginning of spring.  Today we are going to observe a larger frog that just happens to be one of the cuter frog species out there.  I guess it is something about the big eyes that just makes the Big-Eyed Tree Frog look so innocent and cute.  Other names for this frog include the Peacock Tree Frog and the Amani Forest Tree Frog.  No matter what you call them, if you want to see them you need to go to the forests of Tanzania.

The Big-Eyed Tree Frog ranges in length from 40 to 85 mm (1.5-3.3″) and will generally have two very different colour phases.  The Peacock Tree Frog can be green with black specks all over their back.  If the green isn’t working for them then they may choose to go with their brown colour phase which has an irregular triangular shape on its back.   Typically, these frogs will change from the green phase to the brown phase as they mature.  I guess that is one way to tell if your pet frog is mature enough to have a later curfew.

If you want to check out these unique frog species for yourself then you get to have fun roaming the rainforests of Tanazania.  Before you get into the personal space of the Big-Eyed Tree Frog, I have to warn you that they are very territorial.  You will be able to tell they are annoyed with you by the sounds they are making.  If this frog is making a “rrrrrrrrr-ga” sound then they really want you to back off.  Actually, this call is reserved for deterring other male Big-Eyed Tree Frogs so they may not sing this one to you.  The other common sound you will hear from the Peacock Tree Frog is a “ga-ga-ga” sound.  I find this tree frog looks like a baby so the ga-ga-ga sound seems appropriate.  They use this call to attract a pretty mate that may be in the neighbourhood. So if they are making this sound then you should probably look around to see if you can find the other frog.

That does it for the second of the Frog Facts.  Check back tomorrow for some more facts on our amphibian friends.