Parachuting frog

The parachuting frog or pale-eyed parachuting tree frog (Litoria pterodactyla) is a frog from the island of New Guinea.  It is related to the Pinocchio frog and montane Pinocchio frog.

The frog uses its webbed toes to steer when it jumps out of trees, like a human in a parachute.  One of the scientists who saw the frog, Paul Oliver of the Queensland Museum, said, "It's a big green frog with lots of webbing on its toes. They live high in the forest canopy and if they want to move they will just jump into the air and they spread their fingers and toes, and then they can control their descent."

As of 2019, scientists only saw the parachuting frog once.  They found it in the Muller mountain range, 515 meters above sea level.  The scientists used DNA barcoding to examine the parachuting frog and its relatives, the Pinocchio frog and montane Pinocchio frog.

The Latin name of this frog, pterodactyla, means "wings on its fingers."

References

Category:Frogs of Oceania