Red-eyed Tree Frog

The red-eyed tree frog is a brightly colored, nocturnal frog native to the lowland tropical rainforests of Central America and parts of Mexico and Colombia, one of the most recognizable amphibians in the world thanks to its vivid green body, blue-and-yellow-striped sides, orange feet and startling bright red eyes. Despite its bold coloring, the frog spends its days motionless and camouflaged, tucking its bright markings out of sight against a leaf, and it relies on a defense called startle coloration, flashing its hidden red eyes and blue flanks suddenly if disturbed by a predator, which can be enough to startle the attacker and buy the frog a split-second to escape. It is an excellent climber, using adhesive toe pads to move through the forest canopy at night in search of insects, its main prey, and males produce a distinctive vibration signal, transmitted through the leaves and branches they perch on, to compete with rivals for territory and mates. Though the species itself remains widespread and is not currently considered threatened, it has become a widely recognized symbol of tropical rainforest biodiversity and the threats such ecosystems face from deforestation.