Amazon Milk Frog

Amazon Milk Frog 500 (image/jpeg)

Amazon Milk Frog

Caption: : AKA Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog, Milky Frog, Blue Milk Frog

Amazon Milk Frog

Annie (Female)        Born @ Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Oct 2011 (7 years old in 2018)         Lifespan: 25 years   To prepare carrier: Lightly rinse base with dechlorinated water, mist with declorinated water. She does not need standing water, but must have enough water to rehydrate when needed. You are encouraged to bring her misting bottle with you on programs, especially if out for more than one hour and/or if the temperature is over 75*F. Handling: Thoroughly wash hands with soap and water prior to handling (NO HAND SANITIZER). Dry hands, then mist hands with Dechlorinated water. Gently pick up from underneath midsection/all legs and place in prepared carrier. She is a No Touch animal and does not need to be taken out of the carrier while on programs.

Amazon Milk Frog

Range: South America (Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela) Habitat: Tropical Rainforest (Canopy Layer) Threats: Humans (deforestation, pollution), Chytrid fungus Status: Least Concern​​​​​​​ Notable facts: These frogs rarely come down out of the canopy layer. Eggs are laid in trapped water such as in a tree cavity or on large leaves. Eggs hatch within 24 hours. A second set of eggs laid by a different female frog (called by the same male) becomes food for the first tadpoles. Tadpoles metamorphosis into frogs within 3 weeks.

Diet: Any animal (non-mammal?) they can catch and fit in their mouths (Insects, spiders, small invertebrates, smaller amphibians) At the zoo, Annie eats an assortment of crickets and worms Size: 3-5", Females are generally larger Predators: Snakes, lizards, birds, mammals The title "Milk frog" is due to the poisonous milky substance that is secreted through bumps on their skin when threatened. PLEASE DO NOT LICK THIS FROG. Also, wash your hands after handling.  Activity: Nocturnal  

Amazon Milk Frog

Fun facts:  Females lay 2,000 eggs at a time, which all hatch within 24 hours Their toe pads are so sticky they are able to climb glass and support 14x their body weight! Only sexually dimorphic by size (Females larger) Trachycephalus- "elongated snout" that pushes leaves out of the way Ectotherm Amphibian

What is Chytrid? "...Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (BD) chytrid fungus, caus[es] chytridiomycosis. The fungus thickens keratinized areas of amphibians, such as the mouthparts of tadpoles and the keratin in the skin of adults, preventing the healthy transfer of oxygen and other gases across amphibians’ skin. While more species are affected by habitat loss than BD chytrid fungus, the disease causes sudden and dramatic population declines that can lead to rapid extinction."

Resources

https://www.lvzoo.org/animals/amazon-milk-frog-2/ https://www.pdza.org/amazon-milk-frog/ https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/fun-facts-about-amazon-milk-frogs Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium education handbook