Can You Find These Frogs?

Part of the Frogs: A Chorus of Colors exhibition.

Mossy frogs have some of the best camouflage in the animal kingdom! Spotty skin, bumps, spines, and tubercles make them look like little clumps of moss or lichen. Predators help drive the evolution of camouflage by eating every frog they can find. A mossy frog that looks even slightly more mosslike than its neighbor has a better chance to survive and reproduce, passing its genes to the next generation.

Vietnamese Mossy Frog

Theloderma corticale

Class: Amphibia
Family: Rhacophoridae
Size: 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches
Food: Insects
Range: Northern Vietnam
Habitat: Flooded caves and banks of mountain streams
Life Cycle: Small masses of eggs are attached to rocks or vegetation just above water. Metamorphosis may take over a year.