Most people picture frogs as slimy and wet creatures, but with over 8,000 species of frogs in the world, it’s no surprise to see many cute frogs in the world. It’s not hard to see why they are attractive with their bright, colourful bodies and big adorable eyes. In this article, I have put together the ten cutest frogs from around the world. From the giant leaf frog to the strawberry poison dart frog, you will find out about the habitat and behaviours of these cute amphibians.
Amazon milk frog (Trachycephalus Resinifictrix)
The Amazon milk frog is also called the gold mission frog due to the gold pattern around their eyes. They are striped brown and white with adorable blue toes. The milk term comes from the milky substance their skin produces. They are large tree frogs that can measure 7.6 – 12.7 cm (3 – 5 in) in length and are found throughout the Amazon basin.
Green and black poison-dart frog (Dendrobates Auratus)
The green and black poison dart frog is native to Central America and parts of South America. It was also introduced to Hawaii in 1932 to control the mosquito population. They are typically mint green with dark splotches of either brown or black. Instead of mint green, they can be emerald, forest, lime green, turquoise or pale yellow. Even though they can only produce a small amount of poison, it is still enough to stop your heart from beating. They range from 1.9 – 2.5 cm (0.75 – 1 in) in length.
Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis Callidryas)
The red-eyed tree frog is known for its colourful appearance and bright red eyes it is named after. Even though they are colourful, they are not poisonous. They use their colours to distract a predator giving them time to escape. When resting, they close their third eyelid, which conceals their red eyes, and when a predator gets too close, they flash their eyes to startle the animal. They live in Central America and north-western South America.
Emerald glass frog (Centrolene Prosoblepon)
The emerald glass frog is green but can also be black or yellow and have a spotty back. For camouflage, they have translucent skin, so their bones and intestines are visible. Both males and females have humeral hooks, which the males use for fighting. They live in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Males measure 2.1 – 2.8 cm (0.8 – 1.1 in), and females are 2.5 – 3.1 cm (1 – 1.2 in) long.
Golden poison frog (Phyllobates Terribilis)
Despite having the word golden in their name, they come in four different colour variations. The yellow variety is where they get their golden name. They are found in Colombia and Quebrada. The most common type is mint green, which can also be metallic green, pale green or white. They are found in Colombia. Orange members of the species also live in Colombia and can be metallic orange or yellow-orange. The orange blackfoot has been bred in captivity by Tesoros de Colombia. The company aims to flood the pet trade with frogs in return, reducing the value of the wild frogs to end the poaching. They have an average length of 6 cm (2.4 in), making them the largest member of the poison dart family.
Strawberry poison dart frog (Oophaga Pumilio)
The strawberry poison frog, also called the blue jeans poison frog, is found in Central America from Nicaragua to Panama. They have approximately 15 – 30 different colour variations, with their bright colours warning any predators about their toxicity. They are small, only 1.8 – 2.2 cm (0.7 – 0.87 in) in length.
Giant leaf frog (Phyllomedusa Bicolor)
The giant leaf frog is also called the giant monkey frog, bicolour tree frog and wax-monkey tree frog. It can be found in the Amazon basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. They have white bellies and a lime green dorsal side with large green adhesive discs on their fingers. The sticky discs let them climb the trees in the forest, which they call to attract a female. During the mating season, the males become an easy target for predators because of their loud calling. To protect themselves, they produce peptides from their skin. They vary in length by 9 – 12 cm (3.6 – 4.7in).
Lemur leaf frog (Agalychnis lemur)
The lemur leaf frog lives in Costa Rica and Panama. During the day, they are bright green so they can camouflage themselves against the underside of leaves to hide. At night they turn brown to blend into the darkness to make preying on insects easier. It is a critically endangered species with a decline in population of 80%. They are threatened with habitat loss and the deadly amphibian disease chytridiomycosis.
Super tiger leg monkey frog (Phyllomedusa Tomopterna)
The super tiger leg monkey frog lives in the Amazon basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and southeast Venezuela to French Guiana. It’s easy to see why they have the word tiger in their name from the orange and black stripes running across their underside and all four legs. Viewed from the top, they look entirely green. The monkey reference comes from how they climb through the trees like monkeys instead of jumping. They average 3.8 – 7.6 cm (1.5 – 3in) in length.
Tomato Frog (Dyscophus Antongilii)
The tomato frog is native to Madagascar around Antongil Bay, northeast of the island and south to Andevoranto. Females are a lot larger than males weighing twice their size. It’s easy to see why they are called the tomato frog. The bright red colour acts as a warning to predators that they are poisonous. They have three defensive moves to protect themselves. The first is burrowing into the soil, which they can do in seconds. Secondly, they can inflate themselves by as much as 75% to intimidate predators and appear too big to swallow. Thirdly their skin can produce a sticky toxic slime that sticks to the predator’s mouth, causing numbness that can lead to an allergic reaction. This is one frog you don’t want to mess with.