Bony-headed flying frog

Bony-headed flying frog
Polypedates otilophus

A tailless amphibian that inhabits Borneo and Sumatra. It belongs to the Rhacophoridae family; the so-called flying frogs. In the mating season males let out special calls to attract females, which then lay spawn on plants located over water surface so that tadpoles fall in straight after hatching. It isn’t an endangered species. It inhabits lowland tropical forests, although individuals have also been observed at the height of 1100 m. They’re easiest to find during the mating season, 1–4 metres above bodies of water.

Their eyes are white with horizontal pupils. Their heads are large compared to the rest of the body. Males grow up to 8 cm in length, females – up to 10 cm. Their back can be of lemon yellow colour, or closer to beige. Their ventral side is pale, edging on white. Their body is covered in very thin black stripes, best noticeable on the legs. Fingertips are expanded into discs, which are larger on the front limbs. Tadpoles are yellow-green on the top and white on the bottom of their bodies; the characteristic stripes appear before transformation. As their common name suggests, these frogs have distinct bone structures behind the eyes and above tympanums.