The Malayan leaf frog, a.k.a long-nosed horned frog, is one of the most remarkable creatures on Earth, at least in terms of natural camouflage.
We’ve featured some truly impressive masters of camouflage in the past, from the dead leaf butterfly to a plant that evolved to mimic the rocky terrain it grows on, but the Malayan leaf frog is definitely up there with the best of them.
As an ambush hunter that waits for unsuspecting prey to cross its path, this amphibian needs to remain unnoticed for as long as possible, and what better way to do that than blend into the leaf-covered forest floor it calls home? Its unique physical features make it almost impossible to visually detect in its natural habitat
Featuring triangular horn or leaf-like projections extending over each eye and its nostril, as well as the brown coloration of lifeless leaves, complete with the veins and styles of a leaf, the Malayan leaf frog can without problems be mistaken for a useless leaf on the wooded area ground.''
Except whilst calling, these high-quality frogs do a terrific process mixing in with their surroundings, which enables them to both capture unsuspecting prey, as well as avoid predators.
Researchers have mentioned on the difficulty of recognizing leaf frogs in the course of the day, as they generally tend to cover amongst lifeless leaves and live flawlessly still. The genuine opposite is actual at night, although, as mild from flashlights without problems displays from its eyes, giving freely its location.
The Malayan leaf frog lives amongst leaf muddle, in the permanently damp and funky lowland rainforests regions of southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia to Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo.
Because its habitat covers this sort of large vicinity, the population of leaf-mimicking frogs is thought to be very massive, but deforestation is already taken into consideration a big hazard to its existence, as it ends in habitat loss.
The pet trade poses a hazard to the survival of Malayan leaf frogs as well. The species could be very popular with amphibian fanatics, and because efforts to reliably breed these frogs in captivity have to this point failed, specimens are constantly being taken from the wild.
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