At the mention of frogs or toads, many people have a feeling of disgust, but remember the Russian fairy tale in which the frog in an excellent way turns into a beautiful girl. But the overseas funny frog Kermit from the popular TV show the charm itself.
This does not happen in life, but nature has gifted some representatives of the frog world with unusual shapes and incredible coloring. We will break stereotypes, and in our short review - the most beautiful frogs in the world, as well as their counterparts, poison frogs and toads.
Beautiful frogs
Let it be with warts, let it be green and with a huge mouth, but still these creatures of God are not devoid of natural charm, and are beautiful in their own way.
1
Black Rain / Breviceps fuscus
Due to its appearance, this frog is called the saddest amphibian on the planet, and it lives on the expanses of the African continent.
Despite her displeased appearance, she is not without charm. Purple, or rather purple, the frog has a small body size, only 3-5 cm, on short legs. The whole body is covered with small pimples, which is a little scary.
After the female lays eggs, the male protects her until the offspring appears. Perhaps this leads to sadness on males.
2
Lemurova phylomedusa / Hylomantis lemur
On the expanses of Costa Rica near ponds and rivers you can meet a frog of a tree frog family with bright green color and yellowish sides.
Unbelievably large eyes of red color with a clearly defined black iris are allocated to Lemurov phylomedusa. The head is small and slightly pointed.
It feeds on insects, and thanks to the suction cups at the tips of its paws, it perfectly climbs trees in search of food and escaping from birds and other enemies.
3
Volunkuk / Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis
Another inhabitant of the tropical forests of Latin America has a characteristic color and elongated body. They have a rather massive head and grow up to 5 cm.
The most interesting thing is that the frog can change color depending on the time of day, during the day it is light green, but at night its back is brown.
This unusual tree frog leads a nocturnal lifestyle, and during the day hides in the dense foliage of trees or shrubs. In addition, he spends most of his life on trees, rarely going down to the surface of the earth.
4
Two-tone phyllomedusa / Phyllomedusa bicolor
In the Amazon basin and in the vast territories adjacent to this large river, there is a charming two-color tree frog with a green back and a white or cream belly.
But on the head and limbs are white spots with a black border. No more than 120 mm grow, and as usual, females are larger than males.
The frog is poisonous, and the release of bicolor phyllomedusa on the skin, even if it does not lead to death, but causes an upset gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by severe hallucinations.
5
Shportsovaya / Xenopus
The absolute white frog is one of the oldest inhabitants of the earth. Paleontologists have discovered the remains of this species, whose age exceeds 80 million years.
African beauty lives south of the Sahara. They grow up to 8 cm in length, have a dense body with a small head. They hunt small invertebrates, and push food into their mouth with the front legs, devoid of membranes.
Due to the unusual color, it has become popular among aquarists, as there are pink frogs, as well as cream ones with white paws.
6
Spotted Wood / Smilisca phaeota
Depending on the time of day, this frog is able to change the color of its small body, from green to bright yellow. They live in the tropical and subtropical forests of Central and Latin America.
The whole body is covered with spots, from where the name of the species came from. She has very large eyes, which contrast sharply with her small body.
It usually settles near ponds, but it is found in urban gardens and on farmers' fields - where there are water channels or ponds.
7
Makay / Eleutherodactylus thorectes
A resident of Haiti is one of the smallest frogs in the world, because adult individuals do not exceed 12-15 mm.
They live at an altitude of 1,700 - 2,300 m above sea level, hiding in the dense thickets of tropical forests among trees and shrubs. It is easily adapted to the environment and is found only on the slopes of two mountains - Formon and Macaya.
Deforestation can lead to the extinction of this species, as the natural habitat is being destroyed.
8
Venezuelan Glass / Centrolenidae
The skin of this frog is so thin that it is easy to see the internal organs of the amphibian, the skeleton and even the eggs, from which the tadpoles later hatch.
Already by the name it is clear that the habitat is the vastness of South America, and such glass amphibians, there are 158 species, combined into 2 subfamilies.
Interestingly, such transparency helps the frog escape from natural enemies, and in some species even bones are painted green under the foliage of trees.
9
Spotted Poison / Ranitomeya variabilis
The appearance of the frog with alternating black and green spots, resembling camouflage, makes it one of the most beautiful on the planet.
They live in the tropical forests of Ecuador and Peru, and are one of the most poisonous inhabitants of wildlife. A small amount of Ranitomeya variabilis poison is enough to kill five people.
In its glands is cocoa poison, or, as is customary in the scientific world, the substance Batrachotoxin. But, despite this, the tropical inhabitant is not aggressive, and never attacks first.
10
Smiling tree frog / Litoria caerulea
The list of funny frogs includes a truly cartoony, smiling frog from the tree frog genus.
It occurs from the islands of Indonesia to Australia, and was specially introduced to New Zealand, and has taken root there perfectly. Due to its unusual appearance, it has many names, including coral and white tree frog.
Spends most of his life among the foliage of trees or shrubs. The tongue of a smiling tree frog is very long, and it is with its help that she preys on insects.
11
Javanese Flying / Rhacophorus reinwardti
This species refutes that amphibians are born only to crawl, because the Javanese frog can fly. But this is planning rather than a full flight.
With her legs wide apart, she plans from tree to tree, overcoming a little over ten meters in the air. This ability helps her hunt and escape from natural enemies.
Note that the appearance of a flying amphibian deserves attention, since it has an unusual body color and incredibly large eyes.
12
Golden Mantella / Mantella aurantiaca
A small frog of golden color lives only in Madagascar, and the area of its range does not exceed 10 km in the east of the amazing island.
They live on the ground, hiding among mosses, fallen leaves and roots of plants. Body length does not exceed 24 mm, but females 31 mm long are found.
The Golden Mantella is not poisonous, but its glands secrete a variety of toxins that allow it to defend itself against bacteria, avoid fungal diseases and escape from predators.
Unusual toads
Now consider unusual toads, even though in the world this amphibian is not strongly associated with beauty.
1
Orange Toad / Incilius periglenes
The orange beauty was first described in 1966, and these toads inhabit the tropical forests of Costa Rica.
With their orange color, they contrast sharply with the evergreen plantings of the tropics. After 1989, they were no longer met in nature, and today the species is considered extinct, although scientists continue to debate on this issue. By the way, endangered species of animals on most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article.
Perhaps it was the unusual color that caused the extinction, as the toad was easily detected by natural enemies. It is noteworthy that they lived in a very limited area, which did not exceed 30 km across.
2
Kuhumatan Golden Toad / Incilius aurarius
The inhabitant of the highlands attracted scientific interest in 2012, and discovered an unusual view in the Kuhumatnes mountains, on the very border of Guatemala and Mexico.
The first photographs of this toad were taken by the Scottish photographer Robin Moore, who from childhood was interested in photographing wildlife, and he was especially attracted to unusual amphibians.
The toad received its specific name at the place of its first detection and unusual coloring, which makes it almost invisible.
3
Midwife Toad / Alytes dickhilleni
It is hard to believe, but perhaps this particular species, due to its unusual color, can lead the list of beautiful toads.
This unique amphibian lives only in the vastness of Spain, and therefore belongs to the rare inhabitants of our planet and is under protection.
They got their name due to the fact that the males carry eggs in the folds of the hind legs, and only after the birth of the tadpoles release them into water bodies. The body of the toad is whitish, sometimes sandy with characteristic glandular spots. It feeds on insects and small spiders.
Charming Dart frogs
That's where nature showed the whole flight of its imagination, not sparing flowers and trying on all kinds of forms, creating unusual inhabitants of tropical forests. In our article about the most beautiful animals in the world, of course, there was a place for poison frogs.
1
Spotted Dart frog / Dendrobates tinctorius
This species has many names, including it is called a monkey frog, possibly due to the fact that these spotted beauties live on tree branches.
The distribution area is very limited; they can be found in the forests of Brazil, French Guinea, Suriname and Guyana. Quite poisonous, so it’s better not to pick up or even touch it.
There are more than thirty subspecies, incredible in the combination of colors on the body and head.
2
Terrible Leaf Lizard / Phyllobates terribilis
The tiny frog, growing from 2 to 4 cm, is one of the most poisonous among the huge order of tailless, and it is found in a limited area of southwest Colombia.
The paws are devoid of membranes, and at the ends there are suction cups that help leaf climbers to move along the leaves and branches of trees. This species has clearly divided territories, and each male selflessly defends his site. When rivals appear, it begins to make loud noises, scaring away an unwanted guest.
The frog is active during the day, likes to eat ants, ticks and other small insects of the rainforest.
3
Blue Dart frog / Dendrobates azureus
For a long time, it was believed that the blue frog is a subspecies of the spotted woodpecker, but then this beautiful amphibian was isolated in an independent form.
They grow to 5 cm, the characteristic color of the body influenced the choice of name. They settled the tropical forests of Latin America, and in their diet, mainly small insects. The blue color, like many of its kinsmen of other bright colors, betrays the toxicity of this species.
He leads a daily lifestyle, and obtains food not only among the leaves, but also on the ground.
4
Little Dart frog / Oophaga pumilio
This small miracle seemed to have disappeared from the picture, and you can recognize the little woodruff by the characteristic red color with small dark spots.
They live high in the mountains, preferring rainforests, and the range extends from Nicaragua to Panama. Beauty is always deceiving, and this creature is very poisonous.
The poison can leave a severe burn on the body and cause discomfort. But it is noteworthy that the poison does not act on his only natural enemy, already ordinary.
5
Charming Listolaz / Phyllobates lugubris
In the countries of the Caribbean, you can find an extraordinary beauty tailless amphibian from the genus leafolaz with an original body color.
The black frog on the sides has white or light yellow stripes, and the limbs have a marble color. They grow no more than 2.4 cm, and, as expected, the male is slightly smaller than the female.
The color imitates the environment, which allows you to escape from enemies, since it has a slightly toxic poison.
6
Striped leafolase / Phyllobates vittatus
Tailless amphibian with a bright orange stripe on a dark body, thanks to which it received its specific name. These woodpeckers live in the forests of southeast Costa Rica on the shores of the Gulf of Dulce.
In addition to the special strip, the frog is also distinguished by its bright paws, since its body is black. Males grow up to 2 cm in length, but females are slightly more than 3 cm.
Despite the name, it leads a land-based lifestyle, hiding in crevices or among the roots of tropical trees.
7
Three-lane leaf climber / Ameerega trivittata
Another representative of the world of poison frogs, who looks like a cartoon character, surprises the world with its unusual appearance and body color.
Widely distributed in South America, lead a land-based lifestyle, although they belong to the family of Dart frogs. In addition, this is the largest representative of the family, because females grow up to 5.5 cm in length.
Depending on the habitat, the coloring of the body can vary significantly, but the characteristic stripes on the body distinguish it from relatives.
Conclusion
As you can see, many swamp beauties are the most poisonous in a large family of frogs, and a meeting with them can end in tragic consequences for a person. But be that as it may, nature has shown incredible imagination, creating these cute creatures, and the most amazing frogs are found in different corners of the globe.
A few more photos of these beautiful amphibians ...