Glass frogs!

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Tim 1 Comment

Now that you have your frog in bag (don’t trust your hands!) you look closely and see those huge eyes. Glass frogs have spectacular eyes. They have horizontally elliptical pupils and their irises are reticulated or flecked in outrageous patterns. As the frog crawls around the bag you can see his organs. This is actually a trait that will help you identify which genus the frog belongs to, especially if you note the color of his bones. Some glass frogs even have green bones!

Sachatamia ilex and its beautiful eyes, also from Rara Avis Reserve, Costa Rica.

At some point, and I think this happens with everyone who has looked for glass frogs, you start to quietly reflect while searching. Then it hits you: you are walking around in a deep rainforest, somewhere far from home, you are soaked, wading through a stream in the rain, it is dark all around you with mysterious sounds making your mind wonder “what is out there”, and you realize you are doing all of this to look for little green frogs with clear bellies. What the hell am I doing? You think – this is weird. “I’m weird”. Life is good!

A breeding male Espadarana prosoblepon from Costa Rica showing the humeral spine used for wrestling other males off its leafy turf.

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