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Vol 6 No 2 Aug 99 Common Tree Frog Otters in Sight Large-Tailed Nightjar Flying Fox (Pteropus scapulatus) Dusky Encounters at Sungei Buloh Weekend Fishing Survey School Activities at Sungei Buloh Spin Doctor at Work: story-telling by the Park		Green for life? Robert Teo has the story of the Common Tree Frog for you Common Tree Frog For the average person, it is hard to believe that there are 25 different species of frogs and toads in Singapore. This does not include the large American Bullfrog commonly sold at restaurants! The only species commonly encountered are most likely the familiar Asian Toad (Bufo melanostictus) and the Banded Bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra), which can be heard bellowing like cattle after a downpour. Do you know that we have four species of tree frogs? In fact, one species is found all over Singapore! If you were to listen and look carefully in gardens and parks, the Common Tree Frog (Polypedates leucomystax) can be easily found. It occurs near freshwater—pond edges, drains, small puddles, where it hides in low vegetation nearby. Sometimes, it can even be found clinging onto the walls of houses, especially near toilets and bathrooms. It is also found here in Sungei Buloh Nature park. The Common Tree Frog is light yellowish-brown, with four rows of dark brown lines or markings along its back. Hence, it is also known as the Four-lined Tree Frog. The underside is either white or light grey. Amazingly, both its coloration and markings can change to blend in with its surroundings. The same frog can appear pale beige without any markings in the daytime and turn a dark brown with blackish stripes at night. This frog is nocturnal, becoming active only at night when it hunts for small insects and other invertebrates. It is also at night when courtship occurs. Male frogs are smaller (37-50 mm) than the females (57-75 mm), and will gather around any standing water to "woo" the opposite sex. The call has been described as a "low-pitched nasal quack". Using its sticky, expanded toe pads, a male will climb up the vegetation and call from one spot until a female locates it. The pair then searches for a spot near water and as they mate, a whitish foam nest is formed and attached to twigs, leaves or walls overhanging the water. The eggs and sperm are released into this foam nest where the tadpoles will form. When the sun rises, the foam nest hardens but within a day or two, or when rain falls, it disintegrates, dispersing the tadpoles into the water below. The tadpole grows to 50 mm and is light brown in colour with irregular darker markings. It has a distinguishing white spot on the head. The voracious tadpoles have mouths armed with strong, black beaks for feeding and are known to be cannibalistic, not hesitating to eat up other tadpoles. In a small puddle, only a single tadpole might be left to develop into a frog—"survival of the fittest" in action. Care to kiss this Frog Prince?
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