Wax On, Wax Off

Part of the Frogs: A Chorus of Colors exhibition.

Most frogs like cool, moist places. Waxy monkey frogs like it hot. They seal in moisture by giving themselves a rubdown with a waxy substance secreted through skin glands. Climbing to an exposed perch, they draw in their arms and legs and sleep in the sun. They awaken and hunt at night when the air temperature and the rate of water loss are lower.

Waxy Monkey Frog

Phyllomedusa sauvagii

Class: Amphibia
Family: Hylidae
Size: 2 to 3 inches
Food: Insects
Range: Chaco Desert of Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia
Habitat: Dry scrub forest
Life Cycle: Females lay eggs on vegetation overhanging water. The tadpoles hatch and drop into the water below. Tadpoles metamorphose in 35 to 70 days depending on food availability and temperature.