Hobbies And Interests
Australian Green Tree Frog
This frog can sneak up on its prey down under by blending in with the leaves of the forest canopy that is its natural habitat in northeastern Australia. Depending on the temperature and the surrounding environment, the frog can also be brown. Its color helps it catch unsuspecting spiders, insects and small vertebrates.
Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog
Frogs have a lot of different predators after them. Some people enjoy frog legs but birds like egrets and herons eat them, as do snakes, otters and other mammals. Some larger frogs will eat smaller frogs, and bass are known to eat small frogs as well. The Rocky Mountain tailed frog is dark gray and brown, with a bumpy and blotchy skin texture. This helps it blend in with the rocks and dirt where it is indigenous in northwestern Montana.
Solomon Island Leaf Frog
The Solomon Island leaf frog, in addition to have the color of a leaf, has a pointed body. A bird flying overhead wouldn't be able to distinguish it from a leaf on the ground.
Other Use Colors
Some frog species, primarily indigenous to the tropics, are poisonous to consume and have bright colors. Most predators know to stay away from these frogs by instinct. However, there are some nonpoisonous species with bright colors as well. For example, the fire-bellied toad has a brown back but a red underside that it will show to predators when threatened. This can either scare the predator or at least distract it so the frog can escape. The Chilean four-eyed frog has "eyes" (bright spots) on its rear end that only show up when the frog lifts its rear. Predators approaching from that direction think they are about to attack something with a bigger head than is the actual case and are often frightened away.