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14 Frogs Can You Find in The Rainforest

Rainforests are home to hundreds of fascinating frog species that are generally active all year round.

The Rainforest contains the perfect environment for frogs to thrive with an abundance of humidity, warmth, bugs, and shelter.

There are hundreds of Rainforest frog species but the most well known are Poison Dart Frogs, Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frogs, Panamanian Golden Frogs, Australian Waterfall Frogs, Orange Thighed Frogs, Smoky Jungle Frogs, Glass Frogs, and Tomato Frogs. 

Rainforest frogs have the most interesting traits and habits.

It is our pleasure to share a list of some of the most interesting and popular frogs you can find in Rainforest and Tropical climates around the World.

Before we dive into specific types of frogs, letā€™s have a look at common frog families you can find in the Rainforest.

Rainforest Frog Species

Although Rainforests only cover approximately 2% of the earthā€™s total surface area, they are the perfect habitat for frogs with more than 1,000 frog species in the Amazon Basin alone.

Many of the frogs living in tropical Rainforests are tree frogs with over 200 types of Poison Dart Frogs.

Here is a quick overview of some of the most common or well-known frogs you can find in Rainforest climates:

Rainforest Frog SpeciesNative AreaPoisonous 
Golden Poison Dart FrogColumbiaYes
Panamanian Golden Frog PanamaYes 
Amazon Milk Frog South AmericaYes
Smoky Jungle FrogSouth AmericaYes 
Glass FrogSouth AmericaNo
Red-Eyed Tree FrogSouth AmericaNo
Clown Tree FrogSouth AmericaNo
Tomato FrogMadagascarYes
Common Mist FrogAustraliaNo
Australian Waterfall FrogAustraliaNo
Orange Thighed FrogAustraliaNo
Vietnamese Mossy Frog VietnamNo
Peacock FrogAfricaNo
Goliath FrogAfricaNo

Many frog species that live in tropical and terrestrial Rainforests have various classifications and subspecies as well.

Since it is difficult to account for each unique frog species all in one quick read, we have gathered information on some of the most popular Rainforest frogs with some cool facts about each of them.

Letā€™s dive in.

1. Golden Poison Dart Frog

Golden Poison Dart Frogs are members of the Dendrobatidae family, native to Central and South America.

They usually have brightly colored yellow or gold bodies. Golden Poison Dart Frogs are the most poisonous frogs on Earth as one frog has enough poison to kill 10 humans or 20,000 mice.

Poisonous frogs secrete toxic substances from their permeable skin, causing a range of threatening reactions ranging from paralysis to lethal side effects, especially when ingested.

The name was gained since Native Americans would often use their poison on blow dart tips.

These frogs mostly eat ants with high alkaloid levels that help them remain poisonous.

2. Panamanian Golden Frog

Panamanian Golden Frogs live in high mountain forests, close to mountain streams.

This species is one of the most beautiful frogs in Panama and is considered a national symbol.

Their skin flaunts vibrant colors ranging between yellow and gold, and some have black spots across their bodies and legs.

While this species is highly attractive, it also holds a variety of highly dangerous toxins.

3. Amazon Milk Frog

Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frogs, or Amazon Milk Frogs, live in humid Rainforests or within vegetation that extends over slow-moving water bodies.

They have bright colors as juveniles and turn a greyish tone with age.

With time, they develop a bumpy texture that blends in with the environment.

The ā€˜milkā€™ describes the toxic substance which they secrete from their bodies.

They are often kept as pets but not everyone should have a pet frog.

4. Smoky Jungle Frog

Smoky Jungle Frogs are also known as South American Bullfrogs and live in tropical and subtropical Rainforests, swamps, moist broadleaf forests, and intermittent freshwater marshes.

Their bodies are tan or reddish-brown with yellowish folds and a distinct black spine.

They have unique bronze irises and defensive mechanisms, including poisonous skin secretions.

5. Glass Frog

Glass Frogs predominantly live in trees, only traveling to the ground during mating season.

They are bright green with dashes of yellow and have translucent skin, allowing onlookers to view their internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and intestines.

6. Red-Eyed Tree Frog

Red-Eyed Tree Frogs are from the phyllomedusidae family native to Neotropical Rainforests and can be found through Mexico, Central America, and Columbia.

They are vibrantly colored with large red eyes and vertically narrowed pupils.

It has various stripes across its green body ranging between blue and yellow, topped with orange or red feet.

Although it is not poisonous, this frog uses its color to surprise its enemy.

Red-Eyed Tree frogs are known to shake their butts to defend their territory.

7. Clown Frog

Clown Tree Frogs can be found in the Amazon forest in Central America and can generally be found in trees hiding on leaves and vegetation during the day.

They have large eyes and a short snout and are generally tones of orange, red, brown and yellow which is why they are called Clown Frogs (CTNF).

8. Tomato Frog

Tomato Frogs are endemic to Madagascar Rainforests, boasting a bright red or orange color.

Three frogs fall within this type, namely the Tomato Frog, Sambava Tomato Frog, and the Antsouhy Tomato Frog.

They puff up their bodies and secrete a thick substance from the skin when stressed, which causes numbing in predators and allergic reactions in humans. 

9. Common Mist Frog

Common Mist Frogs live near fast-flowing streams in Rainforests.

Their bodies are brown, cream, or slate, with a dark patch running from their heads to their backs.

This slender frog has long arms and legs, a sharp nose, and large bulbous eyes. 

10. Australian Waterfall Frog

Australian Waterfall Frogs live in moist and rocky areas near streams and waterfalls.

They have a unique mottled and granular appearance, with colors ranging between orange, green, and pink.

This appearance imitates granite and other surfaces in their natural habitat. 

11. Orange Thighed Frog

Orange Thighed Frogs live in wet tropical Rainforests in Queensland Australia.

This slender frog species has a flat head, a lean body, and large orange eyes.

Its body is green, topped with bright yellow feet and yellow banding.

They are especially active during wet and Monsoon seasons when they generally reproduce.

12. Vietnamese Mossy Frog (Tonkin Bug-Eyed Frog)

Vietnamese Mossy Frogs live in evergreen Rainforests and subtropical forests.

Their bodies are adorned with unique mottled brown and green patterns, which resemble growing moss within the habitat.

This species curls into a ball and plays dead when frightened, imitating a mossy rock. 

13. Peacock Frog

Peacock Frogs can be found Tropical Rainforests in Africa, notably in Tanzania.

Their name probably comes from their multicoloured eyes and tympanum.

They are sometimes also known as “Big-Eyed Frogs” due to their large eyes.

Peacock Frogs are currently an endangered species.

14. Goliath Frog

As their name suggests, Goliath Frogs are very large and can grow to be the size of a small cat.

They are found in small rainforest ranges in Western Africa, more precisely Guinea and Cameroon.

These large frogs are going extinct due to hunting for their leg meat and populations have declined more than 15% in the past few years. 

While Rainforest frogs are undoubtedly fascinating, many of them are endangered, and more than 120 frog species have vanished from Rainforests in the last two decades.

As onlookers and enthusiasts, itā€™s important for us to respect these intriguing creatures by supporting the environmentā€™s health, thus supporting their ability to survive in an ever-changing world.

More About Frogs in The Rainforest

The Rainforest is an excellent environment for frogs, especially Tree Frogs.

Frogs love the humidity of the Rainforest since they breathe and drink through their skin, and Tree Frogs are especially abundant in Tropical and Rainforest environments because of the large number of trees that make for great shelter. 

Many frogs that live in Rainforests are brightly colored and incredibly alluring but are equally dangerous.

When living in the wild, these frogs would use their vibrant primary color patterns and shades to warn potential predators of their high toxicity levels.

In many cases, toxic exposure from these frogs can be fatal.

Two common families of frogs you can find in the Rainforest are dendrobatidae and phyllomedusidae. 

Dendrobatidae frogs are better known as Poison Dart Frogs and also include Rocket Frogs, Phantasmal Poison Frogs, and Thumbnail Dart Frogs.

These poison frogs can be found in tropical Rainforests of Central and South America generally feed on alkaloid ants that help them maintain their toxicity.

Common Phyllomedusidae frogs include Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, Blue-Sided Leaf Frogs, Warty Leaf Frogs, Mexican Leaf Frogs, Antioquia Leaf Frogs, and Gliding Leaf Frogs.

These frogs can be found in Rainforests with humid lowlands in Mexico, Central America, Columbia, Panama, and Venezuela.

They generally feed on moths, crickets, flies, grasshoppers, and other small invertebrates.

Check out our other resources to learn more about Rainforest and Tropical Frogs

Common Questions About Frogs in the Rainforest

What kind of frogs live in the Rainforest? Dendrobatidae and Phyllomedusidae are two main families of fogs that live in the Rainforest. Dendrobatidae are generally colorful poisonous frogs that can generally be found in South America, and Phyllomedusidae are generally tree frogs like the Red-Eyed Tree Frog.

How many different types of frogs are there in the tropical Rainforest? Although Rainforests only cover approximately 2% of the earthā€™s total surface area, they are the perfect habitat for frogs with more than 1,000 frog species in the Amazon Basin alone. Many of the frogs living in tropical Rainforests are tree frogs with over 200 types of Poison Dart Frogs.

Do frogs live in the Amazon Rainforest? Frogs thrive in the rainforest thanks to the perfect humid and warm climate. You can find Poison Dart Frogs, Rocket Frogs, Phantasmal Poison Frogs, Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, Blue-Sided Leaf Frogs, Mexican Leaf Frogs, Antioquia Leaf Frogs, and Gliding Leaf Frogs in the Rainforest.

Do tree frogs live in Rainforests? Many types of tree frogs live only in the rainforest including Red-Eyed Tree frogs and over 200 types of Poison Dart Frogs. Other types of tree frogs like Spring Peeper do not live in the Rainforest and can only be found in North America.

Is the red-eyed tree frog poisonous? Red-Eyed Tree Frogs are not poisonous nor venomous but they use the bright blue, yellow, and red colors on their legs to surprise predators and pretend they are poisonous. Primary colors usually indicate poison in the wild but these frogs are generally harmless.

Are Rainbow Frogs real? Rainbow frogs are not real and the images that circulated of a rainbow-colored frog on social media and that appear in search engines are fabricated. Frogs can come in many different colors but not in a perfect rainbow.

Sources

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Enrique La Marca, Claudia Azevedo-Ramos, Robert Reynolds, Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron. 2010. Trachycephalus resinifictrix. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T55823A11373135. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T55823A11373135.en.

Richards, Corinne L.; Knowles, L. Lacey (2007). “Tests of phenotypic and genetic concordance and their application to the conservation of Panamanian golden frogs (Anura, Bufonidae)” (PDF). Molecular Ecology. 16 (15): 3119ā€“3133. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2007.03369.x. hdl:2027.42/102716. PMID 17651191. S2CID 21631940.

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IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2014. Leptopelis vermiculatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T56284A3037319. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T56284A3037319.en. Downloaded on 13 July 2021.

Frost, Darrel R. (2014). “Dyscophus Grandidier, 1872”. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History.

Barker, J.; Grigg, G.C.; Tyler, M.J. (1995). A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Surrey Beatty & Sons. ISBN 0-949324-61-2.

Hodgkison, Simon, Hero, Jean-Marc. 2001. Daily Behavior and Microhabitat Use of the Waterfall Frog, Litoria nannotis in Tully Gorge, Eastern Australia. Journal of Herpetology. 35(1):116-120.

Daniella Master Herpetologist

Daniella is a Master Herpetologist and the founder of toadsnfrogs.com, a website dedicated to educating the general population on frogs by meeting them where they are in their online Google Search. Daniella is passionate about frogs and put her digital marketing skills and teaching experience to good use by creating these helpful resources to encourage better education, understanding, and care for frogs.