These three-striped rocket Frogs are small ground-living animals that are relatively common near streams, wandering through the rainforest floor. They can quickly disappear into leaf litter when spotted. We saw this one in Peru a couple of years ago.
One of the many large treefrogs one can find in the understory of the Peruvian Amazon on a night hike.
One of many Common South American Toads on the floor of the Amazon rainforest, each one a bit different in color, pattern, and even shape.
One of the Red-Eyed Treefrogs that called at night from the bushes above a small pond in Costa Rica last year.
Each year during the monsoon, these amazing little frogs show up. They’re often mistaken for poisonous toads due to their superficial similarity and typically green color. It’s a Couch’s Spadefoot, a small and harmless species that spends much of its time underground. Its name is literal: to help with the underground lifestyle, it has hard protrusions on each hind leg to help dig in.
They also have, unlike most amphibians, cat-eyes (this one has them wide open, however). If you see one, you can ignore it as it’s not at all dangerous, but still keep your dog from eating it.
This Red-Eyed Treefrog was really dark compared to others I’d seen! Found on a nighttime walk in the Guatemalan rainforest.
This pretty little toad is in steep decline within its range in the Amazon basin. In some pockets, however, they can be locally abundant. This is one of several seen in a short amount of time on a daytime hike through the rainforest at the start of 2024.
