The Glass Frog and its Importance to the Amazon Rainforest

 

Recognized for its bright gold irises and lime green skin, the Glass Frog is one of the thousands of vibrant frog species living in the Amazon. With its piercing gold gaze and glass skin, the glass frog is a beguiling creature at a size of only one to two inches - smaller than the palm of a human hand.   

The Glass Frog : Centrolenidae

Characteristics: Green skin color, transparent skin on underbodies and legs, 3.7.5 cm in length

Habitat: Tropical lowland forests located from Mexico down to the northern areas of South America

Diet: Small invertebrae

Conservation: Unknown; only about 1/3 of the total population is stable                                      

Although the glass frog is undeniably a unique creature of its own right, centrolenidae is probably better known to the rest of the world as the inspiration for Kermit the Frog. 

But as wonderful as Kermit the Frog is, I'm here to talk about some of the other aspects of the glass frog, starting with its incredible skin. The Glass Frog is one of the unique species on Earth that has see-through skin. On the top half, the glass frog's green skin provides some concealment in its leafy environment, but on the lower belly and legs, the glass frog has transparent skin, which observers a glimpse of its internal organs. 

Sure, transparent skin is cool, but what does it really do?

Since the transparent skin is on the frog's underside, it seems clear that its purpose isn't for camouflaging. However, the see-through nature of the skin underneath the glass frog does provide additional concealment from predators - more specifically, predators looking down on their prey. This works because the transparent skin that's seen on the sides of the frog from a bird's eye view blurs the lines distinguishing the glass frog's upper body from the leaves it's resting on. Therefore, predators have a more difficult time picking out glass frogs from their natural habitat: trees. 

As an arboreal frog, the glass frog spends most of its time in trees, using the protection of the trees' canopy against predators like birds. However, trees don't shelter glass frogs from more elusive predators such as snakes and wasps, not to mention humans. 

Humans don't tend to hunt down glass frogs, but because of deforestation due to economic and social purposes, humans are the force behind the biggest threat to glass frogs: habitat loss.

Deforestation is a problem I've talked about before; it's one of the Amazon Rainforest's most pressing problems. Glass frogs, like many other creatures, can't simply move on and find a new home. They need the shelter and resources the trees provide to survive. 

Glass frogs tend to lay their eggs on leaves hanging over the water, so tadpoles can hatch once they fall in the water but still have their natural habitat close enough that they can live there once fully grown. They also use their nimbleness and small size to leap onto unsuspecting prey, usually insects, that land on leaves and branches. This is one of the main reasons why glass frogs are important to their ecosystem. Their diet manages the insect populations in the Amazon, ensuring balance in the food web. One overpopulated species can affect many others; the same goes for underpopulated species.  

Unfortunately, deforestation has already led to unstable glass frog populations. Researchers are unsure how many glass frogs are left in the world, but they've determined that up to 60 glass frog species are at risk, and more than 30 are considered to be endangered.