Costa Rican Glass Frog (c) Andrew Gray
In the Neotropics there are some species of small frog that have almost transparent bodies – in fact, if you shine a torch on them you can almost see straight through them!
Typically, most people know these as glass frogs. There are 13 species of glass frogs in Costa Rica and all share this transparent characteristic. Its always remarkable to look at a live frog and see its little red heart beating away, to see its internal organs from the outside, and to witness the bones and skeletal features backlit by your flashlight…
Costa Rican Glass Frog, Hyalinobatrachium valerioi (c) Andrew Gray
My good friend Brian Kubicki has dedicated many years to studying these fascinating amphibians and is now the leading expert in Costa Rican glass frogs. These incredible creatures are associated with streams and Brian has not only been studying these frogs’ natural history but also attempting to gather as much information as possible on the alpha-level taxonomy, current distribution, and population status of all Costa Rica’s glass frogs.
If you would like to find out more about Brian’s work with glass frogs or might be interested in supporting his ongoing research please follow the link below this post.
Although we have seen several species of glass frog on this trip, including the beautiful Hyalinobatrachium valerioi at the CRARC, I thought you might also like to see the first little frog we came across tonight after we arrived at La Selva Biological Research Station – another frog species that’s almost transparent when its young:
Costa Rican Glass Frogs Support Glass Frog Research Tara’s Glass Frog
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