Green Tree Frog Facts

Interesting facts about the Green Tree Frog, Litoria caerulea

1. Australian/Indonesian/Papua New Guinea tropical/semi tropical/temperate amphibian

2. Arboreal – adapted for living and moving about in trees. Live on land and
in trees

3. They have large disc like structures on the ends of their fingers and toes
to assist climbing

4. They also have some webbing on their feet to assist swimming. The fingers
are one-third webbed and the toes are three-quarters webbed.

5. Green tree frogs have long strong hind legs to help them leap and shorter
front legs for gripping

6. Predominately nocturnal

7. Green tree frogs have large eyes to see and hunt in the dark

8. The iris of the eye is golden

9. Require water to reproduce

10. Minimum age at which females are known to first reproduce is 2-3 years

11. Males stimulate the females to lay eggs by grasping under her armpits from
behind. This grasp is called amplexus

12. The external fertilisation of eggs in shallow water is termed spawning

13. They can lay anything from 500 – 3000 eggs on the waters surface in single
sheets/clumps

14. Tadpoles are the larvae of the frogs

15. Tadpoles change into frogs by undergoing metamorphosis – developing lungs, growing legs and absorbing their tail

16. Green Tree frogs eat live foods that move – crickets, roaches,
grasshoppers, spiders flies, small lizards and skinks

17. It is believed they can eat about 20% of their body weight in insects etc

18. They have relatively short tongues (for an amphibian)– mechanical pulling
tongues

19. Green tree frogs often use their front legs to help push food caught on
their tongues into their mouths

20. When the frogs swallow their eyes pull down slightly into the head as the
swallowing muscle is also attached to the eyes

21. Green tree frogs have lungs but also breath through their skin

22. Green tree frogs drink water by absorption through their skin

23. They produce chemicals that act as insect repellents

24. Green tree frogs can change the colour of their skin and range from brown
to bright green

25. Litoria caerulea can live to 20-25+ years of age