Central Foam-nest Tree Frog

Fascinating facts about the Central Foam-nest Tree Frog

• A male of this species can fit on the tip of a pencil, its snout-vent length tops out at just 45 mm (1.8 in), while females reach up to 65 mm (2.6 in).
• Living where the rain falls under 800 mm a year, it thrives in dry savanna woodlands as well as farms and suburbs.
• When the rainy season creates temporary pools, the frogs spin a frothy cradle for their eggs, foam nests.
• Found across inland Kenya and Tanzania, this frog shares its northern Kenyan range with its close relative Chiromantis kelleri.

At a glance

About the Central Foam-nest Tree Frog

The central foam-nest tree frog, Chiromantis petersii, is a modestly sized rhacophorid that blends into the dry savanna woodlands of Kenya and Tanzania. Males reach about 45 mm and females up to 65 mm in snout-vent length, their rough dorsum painted in muted greys and browns, occasionally streaked with darker marks. A pale throat, sometimes dotted with black speckles, contrasts with partially webbed fingers and toes tipped by tiny adhesive discs, adaptations that let the frog cling to branches and navigate the scrubby understory. When night falls, the male emits a series of quiet creaks, a subtle advertisement that drifts through the air over temporary pools where breeding unfolds. The species constructs foam nests that float atop the water, protecting eggs from desiccation and predators, in regions receiving less than 800 mm of rain annually. It is present in agricultural fields and suburban gardens, and its flexibility, coupled with its foam-nesting strategy, allows the species to persist despite the pressures of overgrazing in some locales and occasional capture for the international pet trade. Its presence in several protected areas further underscores a resilience that, while not invulnerable, suggests a species comfortably perched at the edge of both natural and anthropogenic worlds.

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