Red Eyed Tree Frog Facts

Agalychnis Callidryas. That is the official name of my little friend. I prefer Red Eyed Tree Frog.

Or cutie pie. Either one works.

The Red Eyed Tree Frog measures from 1.5 up to 2.75 inches long. (4 - 7 cm). Males are usually smaller ranging from 1.5" to 2.5" and females from 2.0" to 2.75".

Like other frogs, they are amphibians as well as carnivores.

Babies and youngsters are brown in color and develop into their vivid blues, greens and oranges as they mature.

Red eyed tree frogs live up to 5 years. I wonder what that is in frog years?

They have very soft, delicate skin on their bellies, but the skin on their backs is rougher and thicker. They also have three eyelids!

The are sometimes called the Red Eyed Leaf Frog. Or cutie pie.

Close-Up of a...



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Red Eye Tree Frog on a Calla Lily, Native to Central America
Photographic Print
Northcott, David

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The Red Eyed Tree Frog is a nocturnal kind of guy. During daylight hours they call the undersides of leaves their beds. They attach themselves with their sticky little feet for a safe and secure days sleep.

During night time hours to protect themselves from predators, they use their big adorable red eyes as a shock factor. When sensing danger they open their eyes and flash those big red eyeballs at their stalker. It is believed the shock of seeing all that red is a split second long enough to make a hasty get away from the danger before them.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog
Red-Eyed Tree Frog Photographic Print
Dennis, David M.

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While some people mistakenly believe the Red Eyed Tree Frog to be poisonous, this is definitely not the case despite their vivid coloring. No venom comes from this guy, just his startling colors!

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Framed Poster

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The Red Eyed Tree Frog has suction cup feet that makes them daring and agile climbers. Their long limbs make them better climbers that some of their other frog cousins who excel more at swimming and other aquatic endeavors.

Their movements are very deliberate and slow so they appear to move in "stealth mode", creeping along quietly and purposefully.

The neon green body of the Red Eyed Tree Frog works to his advantage too. Combined with those big red eyes, all that dazzling color works to overstimulate predators vision, again enabling the frog a quick get away. This type of defense against predators is known as startle coloration. Their vivid color combined with their glaring red eyes actually startle a predator to freeze, unable to move! How cool is that?

Speaking of their color, the neon green background that furnishes the vivid back drop for the blue streaks on his body and his shocking orange feet. Combine all this with those dazzling red eyes while accessorizing with some hot pink foliage and watch out Mr. Peacock, this guy has some colors going on!

Red Eye Tree Frog on Bromeliad, Native to Central America Photographic Print
Northcott, David

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The Red Eyed Tree Frog lives in low lying areas of the rain forest near ponds, streams and rivers. They rarely make it to the ground, preferring the trees and brush with their limbs and leaves to the flat earth. They are always found near water so their offspring, tadpoles, have their life giving element at hand, water.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog Stretched Canvas Print

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The Red Eyed Tree Frog is a carnivore and considers flies, crickets, moths, grasshoppers and sometimes even smaller frogs among the delicacies he enjoys for a meal. His tongue is used to quickly dart out and catch whatever happens to be on that meal's menu.

Gee, and all along I thought a guy this cutie would be a vegetarian.

Bats, owls, snakes, tarantulas, toucans, and young alligators all consider the Red Eyed Tree Frog a tasty snack or meal. Yikes, that serrated beak looks like it could really hurt my little friend. I hate it that there are critters out there that want to eat my little friend, but that is the way nature was intended to balance itself out.

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No, it's not an exotic snake or alligator. Actually it's the heavy deforestation taking place in Central America that is such a threat to these colorful frogs. With the slowly yet consistent declining areas of rain forest being eliminated year in and year out, the Red Eyed Tree Frog is yet another innocent victim of the creatures added or approaching the possibility of being added to the endless list of "endangered species"

While the Red Eyed Tree Frog is not on an official endangered list, the possibility my little friend might be added one day is quite real. Over the past few years, Central America has experienced the most deforestation than anywhere else in the entire world. On a more heartening note, some countries like Brazil and Costa Rica have developed Eco tourism as a means of creating revenue to protect rain forests and other endangered environments.

Red Eyed Tree Frog Puppet



Red Eyed Tree Frog Plush

Red Eyed Tree Frog Giclee Print

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