Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAmphibia (Amphibians)
- OrderAnura (Frogs and Toads)
- FamilyHylidae (Hylid Tree Frogs)
- GenusSmilisca (Cross-banded Tree Frogs)
- SpeciesSmilisca phaeota (Masked Tree Frog)
About the Masked Tree Frog
The New Granada cross-banded tree frog (Smilisca phaeota), also known as the masked tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, plantations, rural gardens, urban areas, heavily degraded former forests, ponds, and canals and ditches.
Their nickname of masked tree frog comes from the black or dark colored markings that start at their nose and go back along the face toward their ear, covering their eye. Because it goes across their eye, it can help with camouflage, as many predators find prey by their open eyes.
Media related to Smilisca phaeota at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Masked Tree Frog in Palo Verde National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Palo Verde National Park
Mexican Smilisca
Smilisca baudinii
Drab Tree Frog
Smilisca sordida
Stauffer's Tree Frog
Scinax staufferi
Yellow Treefrog
Dendropsophus microcephalus
Milk Frog
Trachycephalus macrotis
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Sheep Frog
Hypopachus variolosus
Yellow Toad
Incilius luetkenii
Guayaquil Dwarf Frog
Engystomops pustulosus
Mexican Burrowing Toad
Rhinophrynus dorsalis
Forrer's Grass Frog
Lithobates forreri
Mexican White-lipped Frog
Leptodactylus fragilis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.