Solomon Islands Leaf Frog

Because Alaska wasn't exactly teeming with cold blooded wildlife, (besides a few species of sea turtle, one toad, and two frogs) I've gotta give the reptiles and amphibians some love. So today's featured animal is a frog native to a climate that is the complete opposite of Alaska's: The Solomon Island Leaf Frog. Also known as the Solomon Island Eyelash Frog and the Triangle Frog, Ceratobatrachus guentheri is indigenous to the forest floors of hot and humid Papua New Guinea, and of course, the nearby Solomon Islands.

Frog at the Lincoln Park Zoo

Solomon Island Leaf Frogs are quite interesting in that they are one of the few types of frog that do not undergo a metamorphic phase. Most frogs (and amphibians in general) are born as tadpoles, and as they age they shift from their young aquatic forms to their adult land dwelling ones. Solomon Island Leaf Frogs have no tadpole phase outside of their egg development. They undergo metamorphosis within their eggs, and then hatch as tiny frogs which simply grow larger over time.

They come in a variety of different colors, from golden to duller browns, and are sometimes referred to as "eyelash" frogs due to the growths over their eyes that help to give them a more leafy appearance. They are sometimes kept as pets, and it is advised to not keep them where you are sleeping, since they are nocturnal creatures, and can produce some rather loud sounds.