You say tomato, I say tomato frog. Endemic to Madagascar, there are three species of tomato frog – Dyscophus antongilii, Dyscophus insularis or Dyscophus guineti – all of which have colouring that varies from yellow to deep red.
Rotund and bright, it is easy to see how the tomato frog got its name, especially when you learn how it responds to predators.
While many frogs have bright colours to ward off potential predators, there are far fewer frogs that combine this colouration with the ability to puff up when threatened. Enter, the tomato frog.
What is a tomato frog?
The tomato frog is a small amphibian that belongs to the family Microhylidae – commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs. There are three different types of tomato frog, all of which hail from Madagascar – two from eastern Madagascar (Dyscophus guineti, also known as the false tomato frog, and Dyscophus antongilii) and one from western Madagascar (Dyscophus insularis).
Named after its incredible colour, the tomato frog tends to vary between yellow and red. Female frogs are usually redder than males.
How big is a tomato frog?
Female tomato frogs are usually larger than male tomato frogs, reaching up to 10cm in length. Males, by contrast, can reach up to 7.5cm in length.
What do they look like?
Yep, you guessed it: a lot like a tomato. The small tomato frog got its name from its bright red pigment – seen mostly in females - and its round body. However tomato frogs can vary in colour, and can be anything from deep red to brown orange and yellow. They often have spots on their throat, yellow bellies and black lines emanating from their eyes.
The tomato frog's fore feet aren't webbed and webbing on their back feet is minimal, which means they are not particularly great at swimming and prefer not to move around too much.
The tomato frog looks most like its namesake when threatened with attack from a predator, at which point it puffs up, making it very hard to swallow.
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How else do they protect themselves?
Puffing themselves up to a big round tomato-coloured ball is a good way of making it hard for a predator to eat them, but the tomato frog has yet another trick up its sleeve. When threatened, the frog's skin secretes a white substance that numbs the eyes and mouth of an attacking predator, usually causing them to drop the frog. It is a secretion that is not deadly to humans, but can cause an allergic reaction.
What do they eat?
Much like other frogs, tomato frogs eat insects, but will also eat worms, slugs, snails and other invertebrates if they can catch them.
How do they catch prey?
Tomato frogs are excellent predators and are good at being patient and waiting for their prey to go past them before striking with their tongues.
These brightly coloured frogs have two techniques when it comes to catching their prey. If the prey is nearby, the tomato frog aims its head at its prey but not its tongue, but if the prey is further away, it uses hydrostatic elongation and aims both its head and its tongue at the prey to try to make sure it gets its catch. Tomato frogs can move their tongues separately from their lower jaws, which helps to change the speed and power of their tongues.
Where do they live?
Tomato frogs are only found in Madagascar: Dyscophus guineti and Dyscophis antongilii from eastern Madagascar and Dyscophus insularis from western Madagascar.
They usually live in lowlands and near shallow stagnant water, swamps and on the rainforest floor, hiding in soil and leaves in the daytime before venturing out at night. They have been found in rural gardens, ditches and urban settlements.
Shallow pools that appear during Madagascar's rainy season are vital to the tomato frog's life cycle as it lays its eggs within them.
How do they reproduce?
Each month (except for November), a tomato frog can lay over 1,000 eggs. Tadpoles hatch around 36 hours after eggs are laid and they become froglets between 45–60 days later.
What are the main threats to the tomato frog?
The tomato frog is endemic to Madagascar and, like many Madagascan animals, is threatened by habitat degradation and pollution.
