The Monkey frog lives in the Amazon Basin in South America, and can be found in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and the Guianas. It lives from 0 to 800 meters (2600 feet) above sea level. As you can guess by its name, the Monkey frog likes to climb, and is part of the tree frog family. You can find it in sitting in trees well above the ground in warm tropical rainforest. It has also been found living in drier ‘cerrado’ forest in Brazil.
Source: globalzoo
Monkey frogs are nocturnal. Males come out at night from their hiding places to call out from the trees and hunt for food. Males call for territorial defense and attract mates, but females don’t do this – they just keep looking for food! They are carnivores, eating insects and any other small creatures they can catch.
This species is listed as “Least Concern” in the IUCN Red List, which is the record for the species’ level of endangered. This means the species is doing well, it is widespread, and there is no evidence that the species is in trouble. However, deforestation means that this frog is losing its habitat, and we must be careful that the Monkey frog does not become endangered in the future.
Monkey frogs are about 9-12 cm long, females are larger than males. This is because they have to produce eggs (frogs) and need to be bigger, stronger and have more energy than the males.
Monkey frogs make nests of leaves, where the female lays her eggs. Frogs make nests on trees hanging on ponds and lakes, so that when tadpoles hatch eggs, they will drop into the water to feed and develop into frogs.
Monkey frogs have a special talent: they create a waxy poison that they spread on their skin. It tastes bad to predators, so it reduces their chances of being eaten. Some Amazonian tribes (the Matses and Mayoruna peoples) living in the rainforest use this poison to enhance their senses and improve their hunting luck, although it also makes them feel very uncomfortable. People are becoming interested in the chemicals found in poisons, in case it is useful for medicine.
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