Frogs from Biologia Centrali-Americana, Reptilia and Batrachia.

Biologia Centrali-Americana, Reptilia and Batrachia.

Frogs

These multicolored amphibians have different reasons for having designer skin. The Costa Rican Variable Harlequin Toad, also known as the Harlequin Frog, Painted Frog, and Clown Frog, has brightly colored patterned skin that shouts out to potential predators, “Don’t mess with me! I’m poisonous!” Illustrations here of three varieties of this frog are labeled A, B, and C. Both their tops and undersides are depicted. Unlike the Variable Toad, the Elegant Narrowmouth Toad’s irregular skin coloring is natural camouflage. It looks like fallen leaves which helps it to hide from potential predators. The Elegant Narrowmouth Toad is represented in Illustration D. Both of these toads are amphibians, animals that start out life breathing with gills in the water and then, during maturity, live on land and use lungs to breathe. They both also inhabit Central America. The Variable Toad is native to Costa Rica and Panama. It prefers to live near fast-moving streams because it lays its eggs in the water. The Elegant Narrowmouth Toad is wide-spread in Central America. While these toads are harder to spot in nature, they are more common than the Variable Toad. So, you better look carefully if you want to see any of these guys!