Green-Eyed Tree Frog (Litoria genimaculata)

Green-eyed tree frogs get their name for the line of brilliant green that often adorns their eyebrows.

Type                       : Amphibian

Diet                        : Carnivore

Size                        : 2.8 in (7 cm)

Group name         : Army

Did you know?

The green-eyed tree frog’s previous scientific name was serratta, which more closely describes the serrated skin flaps along the edges of its legs.

Size relative to a tea cup

The green-eyed tree frog has adapted its appearance to blend in with the moss-covered rain forests of Queensland, Australia. The frogs' coloration and markings vary with their specific habitat, but they usually have a brownish-green body with rust-colored blotches that match the lichen-covered rocks lining the creeks and streams they tend to live near.

This species gets its name not for green eyes per se, but rather for a line of brilliant green that often adorns the brow of each eye. They are also distinguishable by a row of skin flaps along their arms and legs, which resembles a serrated knife.

Females, which are significantly larger than males, grow to about 2.8 inches (7 centimeters). Males, which emit a mating call that sounds like a quiet tap-tap-tap, max out at about 1.8 inches (5 centimeters).

Green-eyed tree frogs are abundant in the rugged wet tropics of northeast Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef. Their population is healthy in the region's lower elevations, but, for unknown reasons, may have disappeared completely from the higher-altitude areas. They have suffered serious declines in the past, possibly due to a fungus or virus, but their numbers have rebounded, and they are not currently threatened or endangered.