Can Red Tomato Frogs Camouflage?

In the wild, it's a fact of life that some animals are predators, and some animals are prey. But nature has not left prey animals without certain forms of defense. Camouflage is one such defense mechanism. Some prey animals have coats or skins that are patterned and colored to mimic their surroundings, while others, including many types of frogs and lizards, can change colors to suit their environments. The tomato frog, a bright red frog of Madagascar, might find this tactic beneficial, but camouflage is not one of this creature's defenses.

  1. Enlargement

    • The tomato frog's first line of defense against an approaching predator is to bluff. Female tomato frogs, which are larger than males, can grow to be 3 or 4 inches in length. This is already fairly large for a tropical frog, but the threatened tomato frog strives to make itself look even larger by puffing itself up. The tomato frog may also play dead in an effort to ward off a predator.

    Sticky Secretion

    • If a predator, usually a snake, attacks even after the tomato frog puffs up its body, the frog can move to its next line of defense. Its body begins to secrete a thick, glue-like substance that is whitish in color. This sticky substance is not necessarily toxic, but it gets around the teeth and in the mouth of the predator, often forcing it to release the tomato frog.

    Coloration

    • In many cases, the coloring of small animals is enough to ward off predators. Male tomato frogs are bright orange, and females are red, shades that in the wild often signify danger and poison. In the case of tomato frogs this is a bit of a bluff. The frogs are not toxic enough to kill predators, though the sticky substance they secrete can irritate a predatory creature's mucus membranes.

    Endangered

    • Though the tomato frog has several lines of defense against other animals, its most threatening predator at the moment seems to be man. These terrestrial frogs live in forested areas, and their habitats are being deforested. Fortunately, two of the three species of tomato frogs seem to be adapting well to cultivated habitats such as gardens. However, Dyscophus antongilli, the third species, is currently endangered due to both deforestation and the pet trade, which has collected too many of the species.