(dynamic upbeat music)
- (gasping) There he is.
(dynamic jungle music)
(light melodic music)
The darkness of night brings with it
the awakening of many rainforest creatures
and on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica,
one of the most iconic amphibians in Central America
is out on the hunt for its next meal.
It's two o'clock in the morning,
we have been out here for hours
looking for what is supposed to be
one of the most common species of tree frog
here in Costa Rica.
We've found all sorts of frog species,
just not the one that we're actually after for this episode
and at the right time of year,
specifically during the rainy season,
these frogs descend from the treetops
and can be found near permanent or temporary
bodies of water, where they have come to lay their eggs.
Right there,
those are tree frog eggs, look at that cluster,
how cool is that?
There are many species of frogs in the rainforest
you can happen upon and some of them
like the gliding leaf frog also have red eyes.
(light upbeat music)
That, oh, gotta move slowly,
is a gliding leaf frog.
Look at you.
Pretty good size too.
This is an arboreal species,
usually find them high up in the trees
and they're called gliding leaf frogs,
because they use the momentum of their bodies,
they jump from higher heights down to lower heights.
Look at that.
That is one cool looking frog.
Alright, the search for the red-eyed tree frog continues.
Our search didn't take us much further,
when sure enough, we finally came upon the amphibian
we had all hoped to finally get in front of the cameras.
(light haunting music)
You're not gonna believe it,
there's actually one right here on this leaf.
- Where? - Look at that,
there is the red-eyed tree frog curled up in a little ball,
I'm gonna cup my light,
bring that light a little bit closer.
- Are you sure? - 100%, oh, my gosh!
We have been looking for hours for this frog
and sure enough, there it is completely camouflaged.
Now you'll notice, I'm gonna tilt it a little bit,
Mark, you see the eyeball there?
See that reticulated pattern?
Now the frog can see us through that,
you see it, almost looks like gold spider webbing,
but it thinks it's completely hidden.
It's got its toes tucked under,
the coloration on the side of its body tucked under it
and if you didn't know what you were looking for,
it just looks like a bump on that leaf.
Alright, here we go, are you ready?
He's just saying to himself, oh, you guys can't see me.
Gotcha, be really gentle, there it is,
the red-eyed tree frog,
the most famous frog species here in Costa Rica.
Gonna wake up for us? (gasping)
Look at those eyes,
hi, how are you?
I know that everybody out there watching
has been asking to see this frog,
since we made our first trip to Costa Rica.
Now when we were on the West Coast,
these frogs do live there,
but they were all high up in the trees,
because it was the dry season.
Now here on the East Coast,
we have a lot of rains that have pushed through
and,
(laughing)
don't, no, not in my mouth.
Okay, well, in this instance, you just kind of go with it.
I do have to be careful, because these frogs
can excrete a toxin from their skin,
don't wanna get that in my mouth or my eyes.
Here we go,
why are we bringing you up here on my hand?
Let's get up close for the camera
and get some interesting facts,
how cool is this, how excited are you?
We finally found one, yes!
Okay, now the common name for this frog
is the red-eyed tree frog ,
however it's technically a red-eyed leaf frog
and that is because it is an arboreal species,
which means that they live high up in the tree tops,
hence the name leaf frogs,
they're always hanging out on leaves or like this,
as you can see, they're really good at jumping
and really good at climbing and now it's on my hat.
Is it still right there? - Yeah, it is,
let me see if I can get it.
- [Coyote] See if you can just kind of get it,
bring it back down here onto my hand, Mark.
You got him? - Yeah.
- There we go, oh, there you go, little guy.
Now that leaping ability is excellent,
when it comes to escaping from predators.
Look at that, look how long those legs are.
- [Mark] How do they grip?
- Those sticky pads and they are so incredibly sticky,
I can feel it every time he moves himself around
on my fingertip or my hand,
they secrete this mucus from the tips of their fingers,
it's almost like a temporary glue,
that allows them to move from leaf to leaf
or if they leap across a wide expanse, they can just whap,
land onto something and they will stick.
Alright, let's take a real good look at this frog's eyes,
because if there's one thing that this frog is iconic for,
it is those reddish-orange eyes,
they're enormous as compared to the size of this frog's head
and that is because this is a nocturnal species,
this allows the frog to able to see its prey,
when it's out there hunting at night.
Now this is a male, I can tell that,
because the males are significantly smaller than the females
and ooh, what you guys cannot smell is that right now,
it's actually secreting a toxin from its skin.
Now,
hm, this frog just does not really wanna cooperate, does it?
- No. - He really wants to crawl
on my face, okay, back on the leaf.
Alright, let's see if I can do this.
This amphibian is gonna be much more comfortable
if I actually keep it on a leaf like that.
Now there is a perfect example of this animal's camouflage,
he's like, you can't see me, but we can,
let me see if I can get him right up on the edge of the leaf
like that, do not jump on my face again.
Wow, very cool!
Now these frogs are insectivores,
which means that they eat bugs and they're opportunistic,
so any mosquito or moth or little flying creature
that comes across its path,
when it's sitting here on a leaf is fair game.
Okay, now I do know that this is a male
and the way that I'm at least guessing
is because the males are significantly smaller
than the females, but both males and females
have the exact same color patterns on their bodies,
however, for males to attract females
here in the rainforest, what they'll do
is actually bounce up and down on the leaves
shaking the leaves, informing the females
that they are there and they're available for breeding,
how cool is that?
That's an interesting little dating tactic that you have.
- [Mark] I think he kind of wants
to go back up in the trees.
- I think he does and we have hung out with this frog
for quite a while now and I think at this juncture,
it's probably a good idea to get it back
off into the rainforest, so it can continue hunting.
But what an expedition,
spending hours out here at night
and finally coming across the red-eyed leaf frog.
I'm Coyote Peterson,
be brave, stay wild,
we'll see you on the next adventure.
Alright, let's let this guy back into the rainforest.
The red-eyed leaf frog has long been
one of my most admired amphibians
and getting to film them in a completely natural setting
was one frog encounter that I will always remember.
If you enjoyed this encounter,
make sure to go back and watch
as we get the cameras up close
with some of the planet's most fascinating animals
and don't forget, subscribe and click the notification bell,
so you can join me and the crew on our next wild adventure.
(light jungle music)