Tomato Frog

Lifestyle

During the rainy season, male tomato frogs—which are one-third the size of females and a duller orange color—croak to females from ditches, marshes, and shallow pools.

These frogs are nocturnal and sit still for long periods of time, waiting to ambush any prey that might crawl, swim, or fly along. To avoid becoming prey itself, the tomato frog secretes a toxic, white, and sticky substance and inflates itself to appear larger.

Food

Tomato frogs eat ants and other insects, larvae, and other invertebrates.

Life Cycle

To attract a mate, males tomato frogs call to females around small water bodies. After mating, the female will lay between 1,000 and 15,000 eggs on the water’s surface. When the tadpoles hatch, they filter feed in the nutrient-rich waters. Juveniles are a dull brown color and within a year are sexually mature. Tomato frogs can live more than 10 years.

Population Status & Threats

This species of tomato frog is not threatened; however, its numbers are likely decreasing due to habitat loss.

WCS Conservation Efforts in Tomato Frog Habitat

In the mid-1990s, WCS worked with the officials to establish Masoala National Park, an 840-square-mile area of tropical humid forest in northern Madagascar where tomato frogs, leaf-tailed geckos and many other endemic species are found. Masoala contains 1 percent of the world’s biodiversity.