Smoky Jungle Frog (leptodactylus pentadactylus)

The smoky jungle frog was discovered in 1824. This frog spends most of its time in the jungle away from
ponds and streams. To keep eggs moist the female oozes a liquid from her body and then beats it into a frothy foam with her back legs. She then deposits the eggs into the foam. The outside of the foam nest hardens into a shell, which protects the eggs. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo has a pair of frogs and hopes they will breed in their new exhibit, located in the Rainforest Building.

Description: 

Large frog, 5 to 6 inches long, brown with black markings. Males are larger than females and have nuptial spines on each side of their chest.

Habitat: 

Forest floor in abandoned burrows, or under leaf litter.

Range: 

Central America south to Honduras and Brazil.

Diet: 

Adults feed on frogs, snakes, spiders, and other invertebrates.

Family Life: 

Females make 2 to 7 floating nests per season with up to 300 eggs in each nest. Eggs hatch in 4 to 7 days.

Status: 

Not endangered.


<<< Poison Dart Frog | Back to the Animal List | Spotted Salamander >>>