Geo Range

Tiger Leg Monkey frogs are native to Northern South America including Guyana, Brazil and Suriname - where they were spotted during an expedition in 2012 to the South-eastern Suriname rainforests, along with 60 other species new to science, including 5 new frog species, a snake and many insects.

Habitat

Tiger Leg Monkey frogs are found in pristine tropical rainforests where they tend to live on trees around temporary pools during the wet season. Where they can sometimes be heard calling from overhanging leaves after the rains.

Description

The back of this frog is a solid green colour, and it has a striking silvery eye. Most frogs are beautifully camouflaged so that it’s very difficult sometimes to spot them. But the Tiger striped monkey frog has black and yellow tiger stripes along its legs, so that if it feels threatened, it can display its brightly coloured legs in an attempt to intimidate a predator.Phyllomedusa tomopterna is commonly known in the US hobby as the Super Tiger Leg Monkey Frog, as it is larger than it's close relative Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis , with males growing to 44-54 mm, and females reaching slightly larger sizes of 60 mm.

The Tiger Leg Monkey frog belongs to a group of frogs known as Waxy Monkey Tree frogs. These frogs earn the “waxy” part of their name because of their wax secreting glands on their back elbows and rump. This wax is secreted and then rubbed all over their bodies, which seals in moisture, allowing them to take advantage of drier conditions better than other amphibians. The 'monkey frog' comes from this frog's tendency to move around by walking instead of jumping, which resembles the movements of a monkey.

Behaviour/Life

This species is nocturnal and spends most of its time above ground in trees and tall shrubs. In the Amazon rainforest, Tiger Leg Monkey frogs breed during the wettest half of the year, which is from November to May and males will begin calling from trees and plants after being spurred on by heavy rains and the formation of suitable ponds and pools for breeding.

Like other monkey frogs, Tiger Legs lay their eggs in a leaf above the water and wrap them up in a nest which they seal together with jelly to protect them. They can lay as many as 100 eggs at a time spread between two or three leaves. As the tadpoles begin to form and grow, they will eventually wriggle free from the egg jelly, where they will fall into the pool below.

Phyllomedusa tomopterna is capable of living over 10 years in captivity under ideal conditions, although a lifespan of 4-5 years is more common.