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| Phyllomedusa palliata hanging from a leaf near Posada Amazonas. Image by Phil Torres |
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| Frog eggs with developing tadpoles inside. Image by Phil Torres |
The perfect weather scenario for frogs based upon my observations: No rain for two to three days. Then, moderate to heavy rain that day, clear weather for a couple hours as the sun sets, and no rain to light drizzle at night. I often look at the leaves to tell me how many frogs will be out- do the leaves look dry and dusty or dewy and glistening? If it’s the latter, you have a pretty good chance of spotting a frog- or dozens of frogs- that night.
If the rain is too heavy at night, there will be few frogs visible. The males come down closer to the ground at night and call to females to reproduce- what’s the point in calling for a mate if they can’t hear you through the rain? This also helps researchers- you can identify frogs and their activity based upon the amount of calling.
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| Phyllomedusa camba Image by Phil Torres |
Also, many species of frogs are in decline due the chytrid fungus. Thus, the sad reality is that the frog extinction rate is much higher than many other animals, so you may not have long to photograph some of the more unique or rare species. Tambopata has been tested recently and no chytrid fungus was detected, so you’ll be sure to encounter some spectacular hopping frogs during your visit.
That being said, it is starting to rain here, so let’s hope for another night of frog weather. Happy frogging!