Paradoxical frogs (Shrinking Frogs)

Jun 02, 2024 Interesting Creatures in Guyana, News

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Kaieteur News – Paradoxical frogs are also known as shrinking frogs and it is simply because they are three times bigger as tadpoles than they are when adults.

Shrinking frogs

Shrinking frogs is a species of hylid frog from South America. They are around 11 inches long as tadpoles but during metamorphosis they shrink to third of that size into an ordinary-sized frog.

They inhabit ponds, lakes, lagoons and similar waters from the Amazon and the Guianas, to Venezuela and Trinidad, with a disjunct distribution in the Magdalena River watershed in Colombia and adjacent far western Venezuela. More southerly populations from the Pantanal region to northeastern Argentina have been recognized as a subspecies, but are now often considered a full species, although the validity of this split is questionable.

The adult frogs have a snout–to–vent length of 3.4 to 7.6 cm and are green to brown coloured with dark green, olive or dark brownish stripes or mottling- the pattern and hue varies significantly.

The female paradoxa lay eggs among water plants. The tadpoles feed mostly on algae. Adult frogs are active both day and night and are always in or near water.

They eat insects such as flies, beetles, true bugs, plantsuckers, butterflies, moths and dragonflies and other invertebrates such as crabs and small frogs.

When threatened, the frog uses its strong toes with an extra joint to stir up the muddy bottom and hide. The frog also uses this mechanism to find food on the bottom of lakes and ponds.

Source of information: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudis_paradoxa)

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