Species Fact Profile: Spiny-Headed Tree Frog (Triprion spinosus)

                                            Spiny-Headed Tree Frog

                                                Triprion spinosus (Steubdacgberm 1864)

Range: Central America (southern Mexico through Panama)

Habitat:  Lowland and Montane Rainforests, up to 2000 meters elevation

Diet: Insects

Social Grouping: Solitary

Reproduction:  Breed in tree cavities, with males calling for females.  Lay eggs in a small puddle of water trapped in the leaves of a bromeliad, up to 300 eggs per clutch (usually only about a dozen hatch).  Eggs hatch about a week after laying.  Female cares for the eggs after they hatch by laying additional infertile eggs in the puddles for the tadpoles to eat until they complete metamorphosis (60-135 days) and emerge to care for themselves.

Lifespan: 10-15 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Near Threatened

• Body length 5.8 - 8 centimeters.  Large head, long, slender legs with adhesive disks on the tips of the toes.  Large tympanum (circular "ear drum") at the corners of the mouth.  
• Most recognizable feature are the several sharp spines projecting from the head and back, for which the frog is named.  These are absent in juveniles and grow in as the frog matures
• Dorsal color is a pale gray-brown with some dark brown or red markings.  A narrow band of white separates this region from the flanks and underside, which are dark brown or black
• Arboreal and nocturnal, more likely to be heard than seen.  Male's call is a "boop, boop, boop" which can be heard up to 100 meters away
• Primary threat is habitat loss, though the species can sometimes be encountered in disturbed habitats, including coffee plantations.  Distribution is patchy, absent in some Central American countries in the middle of their range