Nyctimantis brunoi

Bruno's casque-headed frog or Bruno's bony-headed frog (Nyctimantis brunoi) is a frog that lives in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.  Scientists think it might live in Brazil too.  Scientists have seen it between 200 and 1200 meters above sea level.

Appearance

The adult male frog is 48.88 to 62.42 mm long from nose to rear end.  The adult female frog is 56.32 to 81.24 mm long.  The frog's head is longer than it is wide.

Actions

This frog hides during the day and looks for food at night.  This frog has a bony head.  It looks for holes in trees where it can hide.  The frog goes into the hole and then puts its head against the opening to cover it.  This frog can make a substance in its skin.  The substance has chemicals and toxins in it that can make human skin hurt.  Scientists think the frog might make this substance to stop other animals from eating it, but they have never seen the frog do this.  When a human scientist picks up the frog, it usually stays very still.  Scientists think the frog escapes from predators by pretending to be dead.

This frog does not lay eggs in holes in trees.  Scientists are not sure, but they think it lays eggs in temporary bodies of water that form on the sand during the rainy season.  The female frog lays eggs early so the tadpoles have time to grow into young frogs before the pools dry up.

Food

This frog will eat almost any animal with bones on the outside, for example insects, spiders, and centipedes.  But it can also eat some plants.  It will eat other frogs if it can catch them.

Threats

This frog is not in danger of dying out but there are fewer ofthem than there were because human beings change the places where the frog lives.  Human beings cut down forests to build farms and cities and to allow animals to eat grass.

References

Category:Frogs of South America