Common Indian Tree-frog

Fascinating facts about the Common Indian Tree-frog

• Measuring just 7–8 cm from snout to vent, its hind leg can fold so far that the tibiotarsal joint lines up with the eye, or even the tip of the snout, showing how a tiny body can achieve a leap that clears a distance many times its length.
• The frog’s toe webbing covers about two-thirds of each toe, and the third finger’s disk is roughly two-fifths to one-half the diameter of its eye, a perfect grip that lets it scale walls and slip through open windows onto upper floors of homes.
• Its eardrum is about three-quarters the size of its eye, and males carry internal vocal sacs that produce a rapid “rat-tat” rattling call, a sound pattern that lets neighbors locate each other in noisy daytime roosts.
• It is found across Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, western and southern Bangladesh, and possibly into China and Myanmar, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

About the Common Indian Tree-frog

The Common Indian Tree-frog, Polypedates maculatus, stretches to about 7–8 cm in body length, its dorsal palette shifting between brown, yellow, grey or white, speckled with darker markings that sometimes form an hour-glass on the head and anterior back. A light line traces the upper lip, while the hind thighs sport round yellow spots set against a dark-brown or purplish network. Its skin is smooth above, granulated on the belly and under the thighs, and a distinctive fold runs from eye to shoulder. The frog’s fingers are only faintly webbed, toes two-thirds webbed, each tipped with modest disks; when the hind leg is folded alongside the body the tibiotarsal joint reaches the eye, hinting at its agile climbing prowess. Males carry internal vocal sacs that amplify their rapid rattling “rat-tat” calls, a sound often heard at day roosts as they perch on foliage or walls. In the hotter climes of southern India they can become household visitors, scaling walls with their webbed feet and slipping through open windows in search of insects, while secreting a mucus-lipid blend that curtails moisture loss and even “sweating” to regulate temperature. This adaptable amphibian thrives across a broad swath of South Asia, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, western and southern Bangladesh to Chittagong District, and possibly neighboring China and Myanmar, occupying gardens, forests, and human dwellings alike, its presence a vivid reminder of the region’s rich arboreal biodiversity.

More other animals to discover

Browse Feravox