Included in the group of tree frogs known commonly as monkey frogs, Vaillanti's Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa vaillanti) is occasionally encountered in the upper Amazon Basin. Vertical pupils and opposable thumbs are one of the common characters shared between all phyllomedusine frogs. This species is likely a complex of frogs that will someday be sorted out by taxonomists. When these frogs breed, they utilize flooded forest pools and other slowly moving or stagnant water bodies for their tadpoles. They deposit large masses of eggs on leaves above a forest pool. They wrap the leaves around their eggs and glue the edges closed, forming a funnel. Once the tadpoles start to hatch, they slides through the funnel, drop out of the open end, and fall into the water below. The leaf funnel is believed to help reduce evaporation of the eggs and protect them from some predators. This individual was photographed in the Amazon Basin of Peru, 2019. | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Fenolio, Dante |
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