Tree frog Facts

About the tree frog

Tree frogs are not one family. Several unrelated frog lineages took to the trees, and millions of years of convergent evolution gave them a similar build. Most stay small and slim, since twigs have to hold their weight, though a few reach 10 cm or more. They seldom come down except to mate and lay eggs, and some build foam nests on leaves so they hardly ever leave the canopy.

Groups include the Hylidae, or true treefrogs, of the Americas, Australia and temperate to tropical Eurasia, plus the Rhacophoridae shrub frogs around the Indian Ocean, see-through glass frogs of Central and South America, and the reed frogs of sub-Saharan Africa. In dry seasonal climates, some species coat themselves in an extra layer of fat and mucus to avoid drying out.

Did you know?

• Frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus skip the tadpole stage, so they don't need water to breed.
• The highly arboreal Boophis frogs of Madagascar evolved from toxic ground-dwelling relatives.
• Chiromantis frogs can press two fingers against the other two for a vise-like hold.