(percussion music)
- Ah, there he is.
(fast-paced percussion)
(gentle piano music)
The darkness of night brings with it
the awakening of many rainforest creatures.
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 frogs
here in Costa Rica.
We've found all sorts of frog species,
just not the one that we're actually after
for this episode.
At the right time of year,
specifically during the rainy season,
these frogs descend from the tree tops and can be found
near permanent or temporary bodies of water
where they have come to lay their eggs.
Right there,
(frogs croak)
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.
That, oh, I've gotta move slowly,
is a gliding leaf frog.
Look at you, pretty good size too.
That is an arboreal species, usually find them
high up in the trees.
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's one cool-looking frog.
Alright, 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.
You're not gonna believe that there's actually one
right here on this leaf.
- [Mark] Where?
- Look at that.
There is the red-eyed tree frog curled up
in a little ball.
I'm gonna cock my light.
Bring up that level a little closer.
100%, oh my gosh, we've been looking for hours
for this frog.
Sure enough, there it is, completely camouflaged.
Now you'll notice, I'm gonna tilt it a little bit.
Mark, do you see the eyeball there?
See that reticulated pattern?
The frog can see us through that.
Do you see it?
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,
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 like saying to himself,
"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?
Oh, 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.
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.
Here on the east coast, we have a lot of rains
that have pushed through, and...
Don't, no, not in my mouth.
Okay, well, in this incidence just kind of go with it.
I do have to be careful because these frogs
can excrete a toxin from their skin.
Don't want to get that in my mouth or my eyes.
Silly girl.
Why don't we bring you up here on my hand
and let's get you up close for the camera
and get some interesting facts?
How cool is this?
How excited are you?
We finally found one, yes!
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 frog
they're always hanging out on leaves.
Or like this.
As you can see, they're really good at jumping
and really at climbing,
and now it's on my hat.
Is it still right there?
- [Mark] Yes it is.
- If you can just get it and bring it back down
on my hand, Mark.
There we go, or there you go little guy.
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.
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.
That is because this is a nocturnal species.
This allows the frog to be able to see its prey
when it's out there hunting at night.
This is a male.
I can tell because the males are significantly smaller
than the females, and what you guys cannot smell
is that right now it's actually secreting
a toxin from its skin.
This frog does not really want to cooperate, does it?
He really wants to crawl on my face.
Back on the leaf, alright, let's see if I can do this.
This amphibian is going to be much more comfortable
if I actually keep it on a leaf like that.
There is a perfect example of this animal's camouflage.
It seems 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.
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 its sitting on a leaf is fair game.
I do know that this is a male.
They 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 track 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 are available for breeding.
How cool's that?
That's an interesting little dating tactic
that you have.
- [Mark] I think he wants to go back up in the trees.
- I think he does,
and we have hung out with this frog 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 he 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 thought the red-eyed leaf frog was colorful,
make sure to go back and watch my expedition
onto the Osa Peninsula where we got up close
with the granular poison frog.
Don't forget, subscribe so you can join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.