Lemur leaf frog

Scientific name:Hylomantis lemur

Country:Costa Rica and Panama

Continent: South America

Diet: Insects, snails and other small invertebrates

Food & feeding: Carnivore

Habitats: Tropical rainforest

Conservation status: Endangered

Relatives: Golden mantella frog, poison arrow frog

Description: Lemur leaf frogs are so tiny that one could easily fit on your fingertip!  Males are approximately 3 cm in length; the females are slightly larger at about 4 cm.  Both sexes lack muscular structure giving them a frail appearance.  Their large bulging eyes, with silvery white irises add to their fragile appearance.  Their movements are slow; hand over hand climbing with a few jumps.

Lifestyle: They have 24-hour camouflage protection; greenish-yellow to blend in during the day, turning to a reddish-brown at night when they are most active. The ‘lemur’ part of its scientific name come from the Latin word ‘lemures’, which means spirit or ghost.  This probably refers to its nocturnal habits, stealthy movements and large eyes.

Keeping in touch: Males call to females from plants positioned over water.

Growing up: They lay clutches of up to 35 eggs on leaves that overhang water. The eggs don’t dry out because the rainforest is so wet. The tadpoles hatch one week later and then get washed by the rain into the water below.

Conservation news: The lemur leaf frog population has fallen by half over the last 15 years. This is due to habitat loss and the deadly chytrid fungus.  However, the future is looking brighter for this species thanks to the captive breeding programme at Bristol Zoo.