The dumpy frog
Well-fed ones grow rolls of fat over their heads. Its nickname is the dumpy tree frog.
Snakes, shells and frogs · Time every day
White's tree frog
Frog · from Australia and New Guinea
A plump, smooth, bright green frog with big round toe pads and a sleepy smile.
- Size
- 7 to 11cm long
- Lives for
- 15 to 20 years
- Suits
- Beginners to frogs: calm and hardy
Hops after you in lazy leaps. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the tree frog
Sticky toes
Round pads on its toes let it climb glass and hang upside down.
A waxy coat
Its skin has a waxy coating that stops it drying out, so it can live in drier places than most frogs.
It changes colour
It shifts between bright green, blue-green and brown, with mood and temperature.
It barks
Males call with a deep, slow croak like a small dog.
Unusually calm
Most frogs panic when handled. This one usually just sits there.
The real thing
Photos of the tree frog
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
It needs a tall, humid tank with branches and plants, a shallow bowl of clean water and gentle warmth. It eats live insects dusted with vitamins.
Before you get one
White's tree frog is the best frog to begin with. It can live twenty years, and should be handled rarely and with clean wet hands.
Keep going