Red-eyed tree frogs hop into the Amazing Amazon at St Andrews Aquarium

St Andrews Aquarium have welcomed one of the world’s most famous and recognisable frogs, the red-eyed tree frog, to its newest area, the Amazing Amazon.

The frogs, which are native to Central and South America, were used in the promotional material for David Attenborough’s latest series ‘Planet Earth II’. The iconic rainforest amphibians have a neon-green body with yellow and blue stripes, webbed orange feet and bulging red eyes, which are used to shock predators and give them a precious moment to dart to safety.

Joining them in the newly opened Amazing Amazon zone are White’s green tree frogs and poison dart frogs, to complete the trio of frog species visitors at St Andrews Aquarium.

John Mace, Managing Director at St Andrews Aquarium, commented on the newest additions:

“The Red-Eyed Tree Frog is one of the most recognisable rainforest frogs and so it seemed only fitting to welcome them to our new Amazon exhibition, where they’ll be in good company with our other species of frogs. We’re sure they will have visitors darting down to St Andrews Aquarium to catch a glimpse of the exciting new additions.”

Five fun facts about the red-eyed tree frog:
1. When red-eyed tree frogs first turn into adult frogs, they are brown with yellow eyes.
2. As with most frogs, females grow larger than males. Adult males are only about 5 cm in length while the females tend to be larger at 7.5 cm.
3. These crafty amphibians have very strong suction cup toe pads and can defy gravity and cling to leaves, sticks, and even glass.
4. They are night time eaters who catch flies, crickets, moths and grasshoppers with their long, sticky tongue. They’ve even been known to eat smaller frogs!
5. The eggs of red-eyed tree frogs can hatch early if they are disturbed by a predator approaching. The eggs can even tell between a genuine threat and a normal disturbance such as heavy rain or wind.

St Andrews Aquarium worked with one of the UK’s leading theming companies on the four-month refurbishment to transport visitors to the Amazing Amazon and also features hundreds of thousands of leaf-cutter ants in an open exhibition.