Mary Allen
Small but loud: The males of the tree cave frogs can make very loud calls with their acoustic sacs.
Characteristics
What do tree hole tree frogs look like?
Tree cave tree frogs belong to the family of tree frogs and thus to the order of anurans. They used to belong to the genus of poisonous tree frogs (Phrynohyas), today we know that they belong to the genus of shell-headed tree frogs (Trychycephala). Tree cave tree frogs are also called toad tree frogs. Tree cave tree frogs grow up to eight centimeters. Their body is dark brown and has a pattern of white cross bands and spots on the back and neck.
This pattern is unique to each animal – no two frogs are the same. The belly is cream-colored, with a bluish-turquoise shimmer on the sides. The feet with the wide adhesive strips, which are very large for the small animals, are striking. The feet are also brown with a blue tinge. Tree cave tree frogs have glandular warts on their backs. Males and females can only be distinguished by the gray-black sound sacs of the males. Unlike our native tree frogs, they also have not just one, but two sound sacs.
Where do tree hole tree frogs live?
Tree cave tree frogs can be found in the Amazon region in the countries of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. They are only found east of the Andes mountain range. Tree cave tree frogs are tree dwellers. There they not only find shelter and food but even lay their spawn for reproduction.
What types of tree cave tree frogs are there?
The tree frog family includes around 32 genera with several hundred species. They live almost all over the world, there are particularly many species in South America.
How old do tree cave tree frogs get?
Tree cave frogs live for about five to six years.
Behave
How do tree cave tree frogs live?
Tree cave tree frogs are active at dusk and at night. Only the very young frogs are out and about during the day. The frogs spend their lives in the crowns of the jungle trees, where they are well camouflaged in the tangle of branches and leaves thanks to their brown and white markings. Thanks to their large adhesive lamellae, they can cling to branches and leaves, allowing them to climb around in trees. They are rarely found on the ground or in the water.
Friends and foes of the tree hollow tree frog
Tree cave tree frogs have glandular warts on their backs from which they secrete a skin secretion. As a result, they are quite well protected from predators. The young frogs are more threatened by enemies because they do not yet have glandular warts.
How do tree hole tree frogs reproduce?
Tree cave frogs do not migrate into the water to reproduce like other frogs: they mate and even lay their eggs in trees. The mating season is year-round. After mating, the females lay about 2000 eggs in leaves and flowers filled with water. After just one day, the tadpoles hatch. As with other frogs, they first breathe using their gills, which can be seen on the outside of their heads.
The metamorphosis, i.e. the transformation into a young frog, takes about three weeks. Only then do they have lungs, four legs, and the typical frog shape. The young frogs have a slightly higher contrast than the adult animals: the broad white transverse bands and spots can be seen much more clearly than in the older animals.
How do tree cave tree frogs communicate?
The males are known for their loud calls.
Care
What Do Tree Cave Tree Frogs Eat?
Tree hole tree frogs eat almost everything that comes in front of their mouths: In addition to insects, these are all other small animals such as spiders and caterpillars. The offspring of the frogs, the tadpoles, feed mainly on algae and other plant parts, but also on the spawn of other frogs.
If the animals are kept in the terrarium, they get to eat crickets, flies, grasshoppers, caterpillars, worms, and even young mice. The tadpoles are fed fish food in the terrarium.
Keeping tree-cave tree frogs
Tree cave frogs can be kept in the terrarium. But you need a high rainforest terrarium with the right warm and humid climate with temperatures of 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Also, they need sufficient plants and branches to have many opportunities for climbing.
When keeping them, you have to keep in mind that the animals need a dry season between June and December – as in their tropical homeland. Then the humidity may only be 60 to 70 percent, while the rest of the time it must be 80 to 95 percent.