20/08/2026
Did you know this tiny frog protects its eggs by using water from its own bladder to keep them hydrated? 🐸
This month, we’re featuring the Reticulated Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium valerioi), a species we’ve been spotting more frequently at Arenal Mundo Aventura as rainfall increases.
Order: Anura | Family: Centrolenidae
The Reticulated Glass Frog ranges from southwestern Ecuador to Costa Rica, where it is relatively abundant at low and mid elevations on both the Pacific and Caribbean slopes.
It frequents small streams, creeks, and rivers with sufficient water flow. These frogs perch on leaves in the forest, especially on vegetation alongside bodies of water.
And this is where their behavior gets fascinating. 👀
Males are territorial and defend their space from other males. If another male enters, they may physically fight over the territory. To prevent intruders, the resident male produces warning calls, while also using courtship calls to attract females.
The male calls from the underside of a leaf—the same place where the female will later lay her eggs.
Females lay between 20 and 40 eggs beneath the leaves, which the male guards. His parental care also includes hydration care: he empties his bladder over the eggs to keep them hydrated. 💧
Once the eggs hatch, the tadpoles drop from the leaf directly into the water, where they spend between 90 and 150 days before reaching the final stage of metamorphosis.
A tiny species with extraordinary behavior—and during these rainy months, a reminder of just how much life can be hidden among the leaves of the rainforest in Arenal, Costa Rica. 🌿
Did you know about the incredible parental care of this glass frog?
