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Frog Blog: Becoming a Frog

October 5, 2015

Frog Blog: Becoming a Frog

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Bill Orrico Bill Orrico

This tiny tadpole will turn into a red-eyed tree frog in the World of Reptiles at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo.

To stimulate the red-eyed tree frogs (Agalychnis callidryas) to breed, we increase the temperature and rainfall in their enclosure. This simulates the seasonal changes they experience in the wild and causes males and females to pair up and reproduce. The frogs lay clutches of 20-40 eggs on the underside of broad leaves over pools of water. The tadpoles hatch in about a week and fall into the water below.

Husbandry for tadpoles is similar to that of fish. We monitor water quality and temperature, making adjustments as needed. These tadpoles are voracious eaters. They eat algae and plant material from the surface of the water as well as from the tank bottom. They seem to have an almost unlimited appetite. In anywhere from three weeks to a few months the tadpoles undergo metamorphosis. Among many other internal changes, the tadpoles grow limbs and absorb their tail, and eventually crawl out of the water as full formed small frogs.

We move these new froglets to a new enclosure and provide them with plenty hiding places and small prey items. The small frogs grow quickly and are able to be displayed in a few months. It will take at least a few months longer for the frogs to fully mature and lay eggs of their own.

Nikon D4


Bronx, USA Map It

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4 comments

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Paul Shields
June 18, 2016 at 5:33 pm

Hi, I’m working on a children’s non-fiction book on red-eyed tree frogs and was wondering if this image is available to buy. I’ve been trying to get all my images from shutterstock.com but they don’t have a red-eyed tree frog tadpole.
Thanks

    Wild View Editor
    June 20, 2016 at 11:28 am

    Hi Paul

    Thanks for your note. I’ll put you in touch with the WCS Archivist. We also have red-eyed tree frog photos.

      Lubov Grom
      August 15, 2019 at 2:51 am

      Hello, I’m working on a book about pets for little kids, and I was wondering if I could use this image. Could you, please, tell me how is it possible?

carter
January 3, 2023 at 8:01 am

hi my is carter and i love frogs and i’ve all ways wanted one