Madagascar Tomato Frog

NAME:

Madagascar Tomato Frog

CLASS:

Amphibia

GENUS:

Dyscophus

SPECIES:

D. antongilli

LENGTH:

male – 2.5\

WEIGHT:

male – 1.5 oz female – 8.0 oz

LIFESPAN:

14 yrs. in captivity

DIET:

insects, worms, small invertebrates

PREDATORS:

snakes

RANGE

NE Madagascar lowlands (seal level to 600’) around Antongil Bay andSouth to Anderanto

HABITAT

shallow ponds, swamps, slow moving water

CHARACTERISTICS

Males are a dull, yellow-orange color, while females are orange-red sometimes with yellow spots.

BEHAVIOR

The bright color lets predators know that Tomato Frogs are not safe to eat. To defend themselves, Tomato Frogs secrete a gummy substance that gets in predator’s eyes. The predator then drops the frog to clear their eyes. When threatened, Tomato Frogs puff up their bodies. They ambush potential prey and catch them with sticky, long tongues.

REPRODUCTION

Males call to females; mounts and fertilizes eggs, female lays a clutch (1,000-15,000 eggs) on the surface of the water; tadpoles occur in 36 hours; a yellow juvenile frog occurs 45 days after eggs are laid; frog is sexually mature in 9-14 months.