Peron's tree frog

"Laughing tree frog" redirects here. For other uses, see Laughing tree frog (disambiguation).
Peron's tree frog
Male Litoria peronii with partially inflated vocal sac
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Litoria
Species: L. peronii
Binomial name
Litoria peronii
Tschudi, 1838
Peron's tree frog range

Peron's tree frog, the emerald-spotted tree frog, the emerald-speckled tree frog, the laughing tree frog, or the maniacal cackle frog (Litoria peronii) is a common Australian tree frog of the Hylidae family.

Description

Peron's tree frog is one of the most variably coloured frogs in Australia, with the ability to change colour in less than one hour. It varies in shades of grey and brown, where its lightest is almost white. The frog has mottled yellow and black thighs, armpits, and groin. Occasionally, emerald spots are found on the back, which increase in number with age. A characteristic uncommon in the genus Litoria is pupils which appear cross-shaped. This characteristic is only shared with Tyler's tree frog within the Litoria genus. The male Peron's tree frog is about 44–53 mm, while females are 46–65 mm.

Ecology and behaviour

Peron's tree frog with a leech attached to the front foot

The call of Peron's tree frog is a high-pitched cackle, giving it the common names: the "laughing tree frog" and the "maniacal cackle frog". The frog is found in forests, woodlands, shrublands, and open areas, often far from a water source. They inhabit a variety of niches, predominantly arboreal, such as tree hollows, cracks, and beneath flaking bark. The frog is commonly found near civilisation (such as suburban Sydney), using ponds as their breeding-water source. They can often be seen on windows or near lights at night, hunting the insects attracted to these light sources. They can often be found at dusk on houseboat windows and beneath street lamps along the Murray River in South Australia.

As a pet

It is kept as a pet; in Australia, this animal may be kept in captivity/zoo with the appropriate permit.

References

Media related to Litoria peronii at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/29/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.