The rainforest is a diverse habitat where frogs thrive. Warmth and high humidity with plenty of rainfall mean thousands of frogs live here.
New species are discovered every year but some of the most common frogs of the rainforests are already well-documented.
Found in the water, on the ground, or upon trees, the following frogs are mostly or exclusively found in the rainforest.
Table of Contents
1. Strawberry Poison Frog
A widely common species in South America, this rainforest poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) comes in many colors, from plain red to yellow, black, and green.
It eats ants and absorbs their toxins, also becoming toxic itself.
The toxins of the species are so powerful they can kill.
Living in the rainforest of Costa Rica, this frog always seeks out a cool place to hide and live in given it lives in warm areas.
It also grows in captivity where it is further found in different colors.
While breeding, males call for females which respond based on proximity. The females of other species mostly respond to the strongest and most appealing male instead.
2. Rainforest Toad
Bright green, dark green, olive, and sometimes yellow, The Rainforest Toad (Incilius aucoinae) is a specific species of the rainforest.
This type of toad only lives in the rainforest and immediately leaves an area when disturbed by human intervention such as lodging or farming.
It breeds and lives around rivers and streams, deep in the rainforest.
A species of Costa Rica, the frog also lives together in large numbers and breeds in large numbers.
Unlike other species, it tends to be numerous in its habitat as it doesn’t fit well with population fragmentation.
3. Rainforest Rocket Frog
Another species of The Costa Rican Rainforest, this frog species (Silverstoneia flotator) is also seen in different colors and patterns.
Only living in protected areas, this is a common species with few predators.
Feeding on flies, The Rainforest Rocket Frog is a species that likes to live close to streams or further away from streams.
It may match its appearance to the appearance of its habitat.
A black Rainforest Rocket Frog exists, together with a green variant.
Other common morphs include a green and brown striped variant as well as a red and green variant.
Both males and females have similar colors but males stand out with larger legs.
4. Golden Poison Frog
The Golden Poison Frog (Phyllobates terribilis) is a popular species in the rainforest as it’s often considered the most poisonous frog in the world.
The poison of a single frog is sufficient to kill multiple humans, albeit this is a rare occasion as its poison needs to be ingested to kill on the spot.
Many animals trying to eat the frog can die, on the other hand.
Still, animals in the rainforest generally avoid the frog due to its poisonous nature.
Golden Poison Frogs are further known for their multiple colors, as they aren’t all golden yellow as their name may suggest.
These frogs can also have a mint green color or an orange color.
They feed on different insects and bugs and are generally a species natives of Colombia are afraid of interacting with due to their poisonous nature.
5. Serra Cantareira Saddleback Toad
Eastern parts of Brazil are the home to The Serra Cantareira Saddleback Toad (Brachycephalus nodoterga).
This is one of the smallest toads in the rainforest as well as a toad with no color variation.
Mostly yellow and covered in warts, this toad barely grows more than half an inch.
Some of the largest toads of the species only measure 0.6 inches.
Its darker yellow nuance helps the species camouflage itself on the forest floor. Most of its days are spent among dead leaves on the forest floor with the exception of the breeding period.
6. Pumpkin Toadlet
The small Pumpkin Toadlet (Brachycephalus ephippium) is a species of South America.
Named after its yellow-orange nuance, this is a species that also grows small, to a maximum size of 0.7 inches.
Its skin contains toxins and handling it is not recommended.
The Pumpkin Toadlet is also a species that adapts its appearance with age as its young are mostly brown.
These types of toadlets have been known to glow under UV lights during the research on their toxicity, a rare trait in the rainforest.
Males attract the females of the species with the movements of their vocal sacs for breeding.
Its lifecycle is also rapid as the young of the species don’t go through a tadpole stage.
7. Ceiba Stream Frog
Ceiba Stream Frogs (Atlantihyla spinipollex) inhabit the various tropical plus subtropical forests of Honduras.
Its populations outside this area are believed to be small or sporadic.
Found next to streams in lowland forests, The Ceiba Stream Frog is a dark-colored species.
Mostly olive green to brown, the species of frog has a slightly brighter head, with brown nuances around its mouth.
Dark patches as seen on its legs while its skin is covered in scarce small warts.
A rare species of tropical forest, the frog faces uncertainties such as habitat loss as its most important threat.
8. Bassler’s Humming Frog
A species with a wider distribution than The Ceiba Stream Frog, Bassler’s Humming Frogs (Chiasmocleis bassleri) are among the common species of the South American rainforest.
It can be found in the forests of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia in high numbers.
The frog also shows adaptations to both the forest floor and flooded areas of the forest.
It can live among the leaves on the forest floor as well as on the vegetation and shallow water accumulations in these forests.
The species has different sizing depending on the sexes. Females are larger and can sometimes grow to more than 1 inch.
Both males and females are dark, however. Dark green coloring with black dorsal patterns is seen on these frogs which may also show dark red, rust, or brown patterns.
9. Rainforest Reed Frog
A species of African rainforests, The Rainforest Reed Frog (Hyperolius tuberculatus) is a Central and West African species.
These rainforest frogs have little size variability as adults as they grow to a maximum size between 1.2 and 1.4 inches.
Rainforest Reed Frogs are further known for variable coloring with or without additional patterns.
From red-brown to green and dark green, The Rainforest Red Frog is a species that uses warning colors in its early life stages.
The species lives in dense vegetation and prefers to seek out any type of water for breeding.
Pools in the forest are just as good for breeding as streams, which the frog uses to lay its eggs in.
10. Marmorea Frog
Many frogs live in the vast Amazon Rainforest, even up on trees.
This is also the case of The Marmorea Frog (Dendropsophus marmoratus), a species that spends its life up on trees but also on the ground, in some forests.
Brazil, Ecuador, and French Guiana are among the states where Marmorea Frogs are highly common.
It breeds in pools of a temporary nature where fish and other predators are rare to non-existent.
This dark species of frog is widespread in South American forests and cover multiple states.
While it can live anywhere in the rainforest at low to moderate elevation, the species is mostly associated with clearings or areas without the specific dense vegetation of the rainforest.
Frogs of this species grow to a size of up to 1.7 inches with sufficient access to food.
11. Elegant Forest Tree Frog
Tropical and subtropical forests are home to The Elegant Forest Tree Frog (Dendropsophus elegans).
Living at lower elevations compared to Marmorea Frogs, The Elegant Tree Frog also lives outside of the forest.
Elegant Forest Tree Frogs are native to Brazil’s rainforest. It can also be found in the various plantations in or around the country’s forests.
This species comes with some degree of appearance variability both in colors and patterns.
A tan and brown morph with cream-yellow dorsal patterns is specific to this species.
One trait of these frogs is the coloring of their legs is always brighter than the color of their dorsum.
This is a trait also seen in its other morphs, which include a yellow and orange morph with bright yellow legs.
12. Cascade Tree Frog
Cascade Tree Frogs (Ranoidea pearsoniana) are endemic to Australia’s Eastern rainforests.
These frogs grow to a size between 1 and 2 inches and are mostly green, a common color in arboreal frogs.
While the ground color is the same in all of its variants, there are a few types of patterns in can come in.
The rainforest species can have an all-green color or a green-and-black color. Black spots can be seen on its dorsum, its ventral side, or on both sides.
Summertime marks the breeding period and also the period the frog is the easiest to spot or even hear.
A trill repeating call is specific to male Cascade Tree Frogs.
13. Stuttering Frog
Stuttering Frogs (Mixophyes balbus) are endemic to Australia where they live both in the rainforest and in temperate climates.
This is a dark species of frog with dark green to black nuances dominating its dorsum while its sides are brighter green.
Unlike most other dark green dorsal and yellow ventral frogs, The Stuttering Frog is also known for its bright blue stripe above its eyes.
The dark colors and patterns are also seen on its tadpoles. Unlike adults, tadpoles are dominated by dark brown nuances.
Frogs of this species are also large. They can grow beyond the 3-inch mark, being some of the largest in their habitat.
The species can live in different types of forests from low to mid-elevation.
14. Black Mountain Rainforest Frog
A tiny frog endemic to Australia, The Black Mountain Rainforest Frog (Cophixalus saxatilis) possesses a few rare characteristics.
Males and females of the species come in different colors. While females are mostly orange, males are dark green with darker patterns.
The young of the species are also dark and have camouflaging colors that make them resemble rocks.
A resourceful species, The Black Mountain Rainforest Frog doesn’t lay eggs in water as females lay eggs on the ground.
Both adults can remain with the emerged froglets for a short period as there are no tadpole stages with the terrestrial froglets of the species.
Black Mountain Rainforest Frogs live in a small habitat of just tens of miles in The Kalkajaka National Park.
15. Amazon Milk Frog
The Amazon Milk Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix) is one of the most colorful frogs in The Amazon Basin.
A bright blue nuance is mostly specific to this frog which additionally showcases a brown pattern across its body and legs.
Its name is derived from sticky substances released through the skin which looks white, just like milk.
This milky substance cannot kill humans or large animals. If ingested, it can make you sick, on the other hand.
Amazon Milk Frogs are also large but the size differences of adults can be considerable. They can grow anywhere between 2 and 4 inches.
The species lives around water and the vegetation around it. Slow-moving water with plenty of overhanging vegetation is the ideal habitat for Amazon Milk Frogs.
Bright blue coloring and their large size also make these frogs a common sight in captivity, where they can live up to 20 years.
16. Smoky Jungle Frog
Some of the most atypical frogs of the rainforest are The Smoky Jungle Frogs (Leptodactylus pentadactylus) are some of the largest of these habitats.
Native to multiple South American countries in The Amazon Basin, this is a frog that can grow to a size of up to 7 inches in the case of males and up to 6 inches in the case of females.
Frogs of the species come in bright brown to dark brown nuances with black patterns.
Their eyes are red or red-brown, looking more colorful than the eyes of other rainforest frogs.
Smoky Jungle Frogs mostly eat insects in their early days but their large size allows them to eat all types of other prey, including vertebrates.
Small birds are commonly eaten by some of the largest Smoky Jungle Frogs.
17. Red-Eyed Tree Frog
As Smoky Jungle Frogs, The Red-Eyed Tree Frogs (Agalychnis callidryas) also have red eyes.
Still, the red nuance is considerably brighter on Red-Eyed Tree Frogs as opposed to the darker red-brown nuances of The Smoky Jungle Frog’s eyes.
A species of Honduras, Colombia, and Ecuador, The Red-Eyed Tree Frog is a species that comes in vivid green nuances.
Some exceptions apply across its vast range. There’s even a purple Red-Eyed Tree Frog.
With red toes and blue-yellow lateral patterns, this frog stands out immediately.
The coloring and the vividness of the colors of males are important as they are favored by females by how they look and how they sound like.
However, its colorful nature doesn’t always give away its location as these frogs are nocturnal. They come out at night for food such as mosquitoes.
18. White-Leaf Frog
A green color, a mint color, or a dark purple color is specific to White-Leaf Frogs (Dendropsophus leucophyllatus).
One of the tropical species of the country, White-Leaf Frogs are also some of the largest frogs in Australia as they can reach a size of up to 4.5 inches.
The species is pattern-free across all of its morphs and is known to breed in large numbers.
Living close to water, these frogs breed close to water as well.
Rocky areas or higher vantage areas close to water are the places males perch on to call females.
After breeding, several hundred eggs are laid by the female in the shallow water.
Like other species of frogs in Australia, White-Leaf Frogs can live more than 20 years.
19. Common Mist Frog
Bright and dark brown colors are specific to Common Mist Frogs (Ranoidea rheocola), a tropical species of Australia.
The frogs are seen during the Austral summer in high numbers.
Living close to water, they feed on various small insects they easily catch on rocks or on vegetation close to water.
Also feeding on various spiders, this is a species that’s never moving far from water.
Even more, they are known to communicate with other members of the species for food and territory.
They can raise their legs as a sign of communication.
Unlike other species of frogs, female Common Mist Frogs only lay a small number of eggs in the water.
20. Orange-Thighed Frog
Named after its orange legs, the Orange-Thighed Frog (Ranoidea xanthomera) also has matching eyes.
This frog species is endemic to Australia’s forests where it always lives close to the water.
Orange-Thighed Frogs like to hide in the vegetation close to the water.
The rainy season marks the period when these frogs breed and when they can be heard calling for females.
The females of the species lay some of the largest clutches in Australia, with more than 1.000 eggs laid in water.
21. Ecuador Poison Frog
South American forests are home to The Ecuador Poison Frog (Ameerega bilinguis).
This is a species known for its numerous presence across multiple countries and for its multicolored appearance.
Frogs of the species show a red mid-dorsal section with a continued red nuance on its head.
Its sides show a combination of yellow and black colors, with additional dark green patterns.
This type of frog can be encountered in different types of habitats within the forest, mainly next to water.
These habitats can be springs or ponds, as they provide an ideal place for its tadpoles.
22. Brazil-Nut Poison Frog
These types of poisonous frogs (Adelphobates castaneoticus) are found in the Northeastern sides of Brazil’s rainforest.
This is a species of frog that lays eggs in water and temporary water accumulation.
A species known for its habitat with Brazil nut trees, it can even lay eggs in the cracked nuts with water found under these trees.
The poisonous species is avoided by locals who identify it by its black base color, and yellow, and orange dorsal patterns.
23. Vietnamese Mossy Frog
The caves and cliffs of Vietnam, China, and Laos forests are home to The Vietnamese Mossy Frog (Theloderma corticale).
A camouflaging appearance is the most striking characteristic of this species.
As its name implies, the frog resembles moss, with its irregular green skin.
This resemblance means the frog even prefers to rest on moss growing on cave walls or on rocks so that it avoids predators altogether.
These frogs also rely on their mossy appearance to catch prey such as small bugs.
24. Black-Webbed Flying Frog
These green frogs (Rhacophorus kio) grow to a size of up to 2.5 inches and are Asian natives.
A few distinct physical traits stand out. Among them, there’s the thin horizontal pupil and the yellow or red legs.
This arboreal species lives deep in the forest where it lays eggs on leaves using a sticky foam-like substance.
Females of the species also use the leaves of trees to create a nest-like structure in a rare breeding habit.
25. Kutini Boulder Frog
A species of tropical Australia, Kutuni Boulder Frogs (Cophixalus kulakula) are most active in December.
These frogs have bright gray or dark gray coloring and maybe camouflaging themselves on the rocks they live on,
Female Kutuni Boulder Frogs also lay eggs under boulders. These eggs are under the supervision of the male until the little frogs come out.
26. Northern Barred Frog
Northern Barred Frogs (Mixophyes schevilli) are also native to Australia’s tropical forests.
This is large colorful species almost reaching a length of up to 4 inches.
Barred frogs as a group, are the country’s largest types of frogs found on the floor of the tropical forest.
Unlike The Kutuni Boulder Frog, The Northern Barred Frog likes to live close to streams and lay eggs directly in water, not on the ground.
Named after the bars or bands on its legs, this is a species found in groups regardless of the breeding season.