As you can guess, tree frogs are called by this name because they make their home in the branches of trees. Some inhabit smaller plants, and a few species are ground-dwellers. Tree frogs are found in most parts of the world. They vary in length from less than two and a half centimetres to more than ten centimetres.
Tree frogs are very agile, and can climb quickly. How do they do this? They have pads at the ends of their fingers and toes. These pads help in climbing, because they are rough and are covered with a sticky secretion. Some tree frogs have claw-shaped fingers and toes, and most kinds have webbed hands, webbed feet, or both. Many tree frogs can change colour, usually to match their surroundings. As winter approaches, tree frogs burrow into the humus on the forest floor. Their tissues and body fluids are protected from freezing by glycerol, made in the frog’s cells.
Tree frogs are noted for the loudness and variety of their calls, made only by the male. Most tree frogs lay their eggs in water. There are three main families of tree frogs that include the so-called flying frogs. Actually, flying frogs don’t fly- they just glide from tree to tree.
