We often see and hear Cuban Tree Frogs at the school – they like to find their way into our water tank and croak away! So it was a treat to observe some different frogs in the school garden last week. We think they were Greenhouse Frogs.
These frogs are tiny, typically under an inch long. They are similar in appearance to tree frogs in that they have a compact body, strong limbs, and sticky toe-pads to help stick them to most surfaces. They are typically subtle shades of brown and tan for camouflage, and they move quickly in long, fast leaps. Most frogs require fresh water in which to lay their eggs so their tadpoles may grow. However, Greenhouse frogs have adapted from their original state, with the tadpoles remaining in the egg until they hatch as frogs!
When a female Greenhouse Frog is ready to lay eggs, she finds a shady, damp spot on the ground (ours were found in a bucket of damp potting soil). She will lay her eggs, usually about 15 of them, right onto the ground in a small hole she digs with her hind legs. The eggs, about the size of a pinhead, are glassy and resemble pearls made of clear jelly.
The mother Greenhouse Frog then leaves them to develop by themselves. Most frog eggs, develop a dark spot which you can see the tadpole forming. The frog eggs then hatch and the tadpoles become free, swimming in water. The Greenhouse Frog, however, skips that step. The tadpoles remain inside the egg, and the egg simply grows with them. The egg grows until it is about the size of a dry pea, at which point the tadpole inside the egg grows legs, absorbs its tail, and turns into a tiny frog!
The development of a tiny “froglet” inside the egg of a Greenhouse Frog takes from 13 to 15 days. In that time, the egg’s inhabitant goes through a complete metamorphosis from tadpole to frog. Finally, the froglet hatches and is ready to start its new life as a tiny frog. Barely able to cover a single typed letter on this page with their bodies, the froglets mostly hide at first, snapping up tiny ants, gnats, and other invertebrates in the moist soil where their eggs were laid. They eventually venture out of the moist nest to find a new hiding place, where they will continue to eat small insects and grow into their adult form.
We’re more than happy for them to share our garden and playground, especially if they munch away on the mosquitoes!
(Information from Times of the Islands).
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