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Red-Eyed Tree Frog
(Agalychnis callidryas)
 On a hot, humid day in the rainforest, you might find a red-eyed tree frog sleeping under the thick leaves of a tree. But you'd have to look closely, because its green skin blends in with the color of the leaves. The color of its skin is
camouflage and helps the frog hide from predators. It sleeps with its eyes closed tight and its legs tucked in so that it looks completely green. It also sleeps on the shady side of the leaves to help keep its skin moist.A frog has very special skin and its skin needs to stay wet or it won't live. It breathes with its skin, as well as with its lungs. A frog doesn't drink water; it absorbs water through its skin. The red-eyed tree frog lives in trees that hang over water, so if it ever dries out, the frog can just jump into the water. One reason the frog wears such bright colors is a trick.  It is pretending to be a wildly colored, poisonous frogs as a warning to predators.The colors are like a flashing sign: "Don't eat me! Don't eat me! Don't eat me!" Bright colors also trick the eyes of a hunter. When the frog moves and shows its bright blue and yellow racing stripes, it confuses the hunter for a split second, which gives the frog just enough time to leap into the water and get away. Hidden colors like the red-eyed tree frog's are called "flash colors." Maybe that's why sports teams wear such bright colors too.  But why does it have such huge, red eyes? The frog sleeps all day with its eyes shut tight. At night when the frog is active, the color red would look gray. What purpose do its colorful eyes have? Scientists think it is another trick the frog uses to protect itself.Imagine that when you looked under the leaves and found a tree frog, it woke up. It would open its bright red eyes and the color would surprise you. Those big eyes might belong to an animal that could eat you! And that moment of surprise is what the frog needs to escape into the water.
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