Tree frog: Difference between revisions
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North American, too Gallery made it look as though we don't have 'em. |
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IT'S A FROG IN A TREE YOU TARDS. IF YOU THROW A FROG IN A TREE, IT BECOMES A TREE FROG. TREE FROGS HAVE FANGS AND ARE EXTREMELY POISONOUS. YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH A TREEFROG, NO MATTER HOW CUTE THEY MAY BE. THEY ARE KILLERS FUELED BY THE SAP OF THEIR TREE-GODS. |
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{{wiktionary|tree frog}} |
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A tree frog is any [[frog]] that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an [[arboreal]] state.<ref>http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=tree%20frog</ref><ref>http://animals.howstuffworks.com/amphibians/tree-frog-info.htm</ref> Two [[Lineage (evolution)|lineages]] of frogs among the [[Neobatrachia]] have given rise to tree frogs even though they are not closely related to each other. Many millions of years of convergent [[evolution]], resulting in almost identical [[habitus|habitats]] and [[ecology|ecologies]] between the two families, have resulted in species that strongly resemble one another. In fact, they are so similar as regards their ecological niche that where one group occurs, the other is almost always absent. Their present-day distribution indicates that the last common ancestor of the two tree frog groups lived long before the [[Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event|extinction of the dinosaurs]]. |
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As the name implies, these frogs are typically found in very tall trees or other high-growing vegetation. They do not normally descend to the ground, except to mate and spawn — some build [[foam nest]]s on leaves and during their adult lives rarely leave the trees at all. |
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The back color of tree frogs is typically a vivid green, uniformly so in many species, subtly patterned in others, altogether giving an excellent [[camouflage]] depending on the particular kind of vegetation they inhabit and the predators they hide from. Many tree frogs can change their color to a remarkable extent; when resting on bark they are usually bright brownish gray. |
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Tree frogs are usually tiny, as their weight has to be carried by the branches and twigs of their [[habitat]]. While some reach 10 cm (4 in) or more, they are hardly in the same size class as "grass frogs" (which ironically contain some species belonging to the "true" tree frogs, [[Hylidae]]). Typical for "tree frogs" are the well-developed discs at the finger and toe tips; the fingers and toes themselves as well as the limbs tend to be rather long, resulting in a superior grasping ability. The genus ''[[Chiromantis]]'' of the [[Rhacophoridae]] is most extreme in this respect: it can oppose two fingers to the other two, resulting in a [[Vise (tool)|vise]]-like grip. |
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Tree frogs are members of the following [[family (biology)|families]], which only in East Asia are found [[Sympatric speciation|sympatrically]] to a significant extent: |
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*[[Rhacophoridae]] or shrub frogs. These are the tree frogs of [[tropical]] regions around the [[Indian Ocean]]: [[Africa]], [[South Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]] east to [[Richard Lydekker|Lydekker's Line]]. A few also occur in [[East Asia]]. |
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* [[Hylidae]] or "true" tree frogs. These occur elsewhere: in the [[temperate]] to tropical parts of [[Eurasia]] north of the [[Himalayas]], [[Australia (continent)|Australia]] and the [[Americas]]. |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Hyla septentrionalis 2.jpg|[[Cuban Tree Frog]]<br/>''Osteopilus septentrionalis''<br/>Hylidae<br/><br/>Caribbean |
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Image:Laubfrosch cropped.jpg|[[European Tree Frog]]<br/>''Hyla arborea''<br/>Hylidae<br/><br/>Europe |
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Image:Polyp leucom M 050408 041 ipb.jpg|[[Common Tree Frog]]<br/>''Polypedates leucomystax''<br/>Rhacophoridae<br/><br/>Southern to Eastern Asia |
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Image:Red-eyed Tree Frog - Litoria chloris edit1.jpg|[[Red-eyed Tree Frog]]<br/>''Litoria chloris''<br/>Hylidae<br/><br/>Southern and Central America |
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Image:GrayTreeFrog2010.jpg|[[Gray tree frog]]<br/>''Hyla versicolor''<br/>Hylidae<br/><br/>Eastern United States and southeastern Canada |
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</gallery> |
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==Bibliography == |
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* Richardson, C., Lengagne, T., 2010 – "Multiple signals and male spacing affect female preference at cocktail parties in treefrogs." ''Proceedings of The Royal Society - Biological Sciences'', 277 : 1247-1252. Cote bibliothèque |
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==References== |
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{{Refimprove|date=October 2008}} |
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{{Reflist}} |
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[[Category:Frogs]] |
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Revision as of 17:50, 9 July 2010
IT'S A FROG IN A TREE YOU TARDS. IF YOU THROW A FROG IN A TREE, IT BECOMES A TREE FROG. TREE FROGS HAVE FANGS AND ARE EXTREMELY POISONOUS. YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH A TREEFROG, NO MATTER HOW CUTE THEY MAY BE. THEY ARE KILLERS FUELED BY THE SAP OF THEIR TREE-GODS.