The rainy season part 1: Glass frogs

08 Jul

The rainy season part 1: Glass frogs

In the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica most rain falls in May to August. The fact that it rains is good for all life of course, but can be quite difficult for our biologists in the Work with Nature reserve; the paths become muddy, the laundry doesn’t dry and the project is sometimes briefly inaccessible because rivers are filling up. Are there also advantages to days of rain? Yes, there are! The frogs show themselves!

In part 1 of the photo series about the rainy season you can read all about: the glass frogs.

Glass frogs are a special group of amphibians, the small (2-4 cm) frogs have transparent bellies through which the organs are visible. To make sure their eggs are not eaten by other animals, they lay the egg packets on leaves that grow above fast flowing water. The eggs develop on the leaves and when the tadpoles are big enough they break out of their egg packets and fall into the murky water.
During the day glass frogs hide in vegetation. Only during rainy nights most species can be found singing on leaves above streams. Several species of glass frogs have been found in the foundation’s reserve, one more beautiful and endearing than the other. Below are some of the species, some of which are very poorly resistant to disturbance and pollution. Click on the image to enlarge them.

: The tadpoles in their individual egg pockets

: These tadpoles are (almost) fully grown and some of them drip out at the bottom.

: Dwarf Glass Frog

: Dwarf Glass Frog

: Emerald Glass Frog

: Emerald Glass Frog

: Fleishmann’s Glass Frog typically sings while hanging upside down

: Fleishmann’s Glass Frog

: Granular Glass Frog

: Granular Glass Frog

Curious about the rainy season part 2? Click here

26 Aug

From pasture to a fully-fledged rainforest

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10 Feb

Special glass frog in the reserve!

Now that student Sonny, a pure night tour specialist, is about to finish his internship, a lot of great discoveries are made at the last minute. To top it all off, last week we found a special glass frog in the reserve. This Hyalinobatrachium dianae – Diane’s Bare-hearted Glass Frog was only discovered and described […]

12 Jan

The three-fingered sloth: the facts you didn’t know about this impressive mammal

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The Hummingbird

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28 Aug

Butterflies in Costa Rica

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03 Oct

International Census of the Great Green Macaw

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16 Jul

The rainy season part 2: Other frog species in Costa Rica

Did you know… in the wet months the frogs in Costa Rica show themselves more often? They are less prone to drying out because of the wetness and are singing because many species lay their eggs in the rainy season. Earlier we talked about the glass frogs, but there are many more frogs to be seen in this period. (more…)

15 Apr

Despite the corona crisis, investigations continue in Costa Rica

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In the Netherlands, some students are busy analysing data, but also in Costa Rica inventories are still being made. Accompanied by guide Tapa, Hanneke and Maarten walk the transects in different habitats.

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21 Sep

CO2 Compensation – How does that work?

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12 Nov

Special reserve expansion realized!

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25 Sep

Long-term research project with Utrecht University

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