How cool is this?
Imagine…A giant frog that lives high in the open tree branches in Peru. To avoid skin damage from the sun, each day it smears its own natural waxy mucous all over every bit of its body. This sunscreen and the frog’s special skin pigments reflect infrared and ultraviolet light. The wax dries to help keep the frog from drying out in the sun. It tends to hang out on the branches like a lizard in the sun, even though it is a frog! On top of that, it has opposable thumbs on all 4 limbs, allowing it to crawl around the tree branches like a chimpanzee. Its front hands look human-like.
That frog actually exists! It is the Giant Waxy Monkey Tree Frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor. The term “bicolor” describes the body’s two-toned pattern of green on top, creamy white/tan belly. The variety found in Peru also develops a beautiful pebbled reticulated skin pattern along the sides. This species has only been bred in captivity in the US for the past few years, and after being on a waitlist from a local breeder for two years, I was thrilled to obtain several juveniles on Oct 11, 2022. They were just a bit bigger than my thumb nail. Now, a little more than a year later, they are getting huge, just as planned. Enjoy!
Tiny Waxy Monkey Tree Frogs
“Giant” Waxy Monkey Tree Frog
The flank of the Waxy
Edna applying sunscreen on herself