Jamess Stice Co

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One excellent reason to visit Costa Rica during the rainy months is to enjoy our rich variety of frog species. Many are graced with strikingly colorful patterns, others are cryptic and blend into their surroundings perfectly. They range in size from incredibly delicate glass frogs to huge voracious Smoky Jungle Frogs, capable of turning the tables on unsuspecting snakes up to a foot and a half in length. There is certainly great variety among Costa Rica's frog species, but, almost invariably, frogs have a permanent smile and large, engaging eyes. At a glance they seem quite friendly and curious, almost comical, as they inspect you inspecting them. As a photographer, I love photographing frogs. They are charming and simply make wonderful subjects. Perhaps legendary turtle conservationist Archie Carr says it best in his book The Windward Road: "I have always liked frogs. I liked them before I ever took up zoology as a profession; and nothing I have had to learn about them since has marred the attachment. I like the looks of frogs, and their outlook, and especially the way they get together in wet places and sing about sex." There certainly is something entirely endearing about frogs. The following web pages pay tribute to some of these amazing little creatures who make so many of our Night Tours so special, at times unforgettable. Frogs are the most diverse and successful group of amphibians. There are approximately 4400 identified species worldwide and they inhabit every continent except Antarctica. Frogs have managed to adapt to even the most inhospitable climates. Some frogs live in the desert and burrow into the earth entering a type of hibernation for most of the year. When the rains come, they emerge from their slumber to breed in the temporary pools formed by the rainstorms. At the other extreme, there is a frog which ranges into Alaska that freezes during the winter, only to thaw out in spring to reproduce once conditions are favorable. You could literally put this frog in your freezer for months, then take him out, let him thaw and watch him hop away!! Talk about resilience! Frog diversity is at it's grandest in the Tropics and reaches its zenith in the rainforest. There are approximately 130 frog species in Costa Rica and they inhabit almost every conceivable habitat. From lowland marshes to mountain treetops. Despite their relative abundance throughout the country, seeing these magnificent creatures in the wild requires some effort and, as with every nature encounter, a bit of luck. Many of our guests comment that before The Night Tour they had not seen any frogs on their Costa Rican travels. Most frogs are nocturnal and their activity peaks on rainy or very humid nights. Even frogs that are active during the day, like Poison-dart Frogs, are elusive and shy. The frogs' call, which is unique to each species, is usually a good way to locate and identify them. By far, the most amazing thing about frogs is their lifestyle. You probably learned that frogs lay their eggs in a river or pond. A tadpole then hatches out and develops in this aquatic environment until it turns into a frog. This pattern is shattered in the tropics.

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