Amphibians
Red-eyed treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas) Costa Rica.
This is the iconic Costa Rican red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas). I shot this picture at La Selva Biological Station, where they are easy to find during the rainy season. These frogs are extremely good climbers and I've seen them shimmy up a branch like trapeze artists.
Strawberry poison-dart frog, Costa Rica.
This is a strawberry poison-dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) also known as the "blue jean frog". These little frogs are common, diurnal, and about 1" or 25mm.
This one may be a white-lipped frog. Regardless, he looks like he is up to no good.
Two-Lined Salamander, Virginia.
This is a Southern Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera,) from Virginia. I find them in small colonies. They seem to like the banks of small streams or wet areas where they climb onto leaves to hunt.
My photos are taken "in situ" meaning that I photograph creatures where I find them and with minimal disturbance. This American toad (Bufo Americanus) was sitting on a rock in the middle of a trail and did not want to move. Easy!
Marbled tree toad (Rentapia everetti) suspected, Sarawak.
I found this beautiful toad in the mountains about an hour south of Kuching. If my ID is correct, he is mostly arboreal. The organization "Frogs of Borneo" says that the tadpoles for this species are "unknown". I suspect this indicates how little study has taken place in this extraordinarily diverse area.
Hyla cinerea: This Florida tree frog is also known as the green tree frog and is supposedly nocturnal. I found this one in the early morning at the Circle B reserve in Florida. He gave me the perfect tree frog pose!
This tiny glass frog (1") paid no attention to the camera or me. That's not always the case -- they can be rather shy. I believe this is Espadarana prosoblepon.
This one could be Espadarana prosoblepon. since it has back spots.
Figuring out an ID on some of these is just hopeless. But the color on this little fellow is stunning!
I found this one in Taman Negara. No ID yet.
I found these frogs hunting and calling from the tops of leaves. They are about 15mm or 5/8" and make a loud chirping call.
Unidentified tree frog. Costa Rica.
A poised pose if ever I've seen one.
There are dozens of frog and toad species in Sarawak and some look very similar to each other. A good number of them are called "toads" but are climbers. Which was new to me.
White-Spotted Slimy Salamander.
White-spotted Slimy Salamander (Plethodon cylindraceus) Virginia. This is one of four or five salamander species that are easy to find in Virginia. These guys hunt on the forest floor at night.
This grumpy-looking frog is a forest frog (Rhaebo haematiticus.) I must have frightened him a bit because he has tucked himself down in a defensive position. In leaf litter, these guys are difficult to spot.
Northern Spring Salamander, Virginia.
I'm pretty sure this is a Northern Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus.) Thanks to Zack Cava for the ID. This is one of my local salamanders. They are found along streams and wet areas but seem to only appear briefly at certain times of the year -- I suspect they are mating because I seem to find several when they are out and about -- and a week later there will be none at all.
Hypopachus pictiventris, Costa Rica.
Commonly known as a sheep frog, this small frog (2") is bellying up to the termite buffet.
Likely in the Plethodontidae family, this salamander is probably the locally common Nauta salamander (Bolitoglossa altamazonica.) Perhaps unsurprisingly, I found him near Nauta, Peru.
Unidentified.
I backed away from this little frog and took a second shot for scale. I do not know the species but there are a LOT of very small frog species in Costa Rica!
Just before the Canterana at La Selva Biological Station. I'm thinking of Boana rufitela as an ID...
Frog, La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica.
Red webbed feet, brown eyes, dorsal ridge -- a young Boana rufitela?
Could be Craugastor fitzingeri or Diasporus diastema... or neither. He was about 1" long and a bit of a bonus since I was concentrating very hard on trying to photograph a velvet worm and just grabbed a quick shot when the VW went in a hole.
Froglet -- or frog? Costa Rica.
Photographing frogs is easier than photographing insects. It is also easier than identifying frogs! At about 1" long this little guy could be fully grown -- or he could be a froglet. Many species of frogs have wide variations in their coloring. Others have several color morphs. This one comes from the east side of Costa Rica.
Bornean tree hole frog suspected (Metaphrynella sundana).
Bornean tree hole frog suspected, (Metaphrynella sundana) Malaysian peninsular. I’d never heard of tree hole frogs, but that’s exactly where I found this one — and he looks remarkably like the pictures I’ve found of the species. The hole in question was about as big as my hand and a few inches deep — enough to collect and trap a cup or so of water. I went back to the hole two years after I took this photo but he was not there.
Another small frog from the forest at La Selva Biological Station.
Eft form of Eastern newt, Virginia.
Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens). This is the terrestrial form of the newt.
Eastern red backed salamander, Virginia.
This is an Eastern red backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus, and I found him in Virginia. Very pretty, and quite common where there is leaf litter and damp areas. They are nocturnal hunters and are seldom seen during the day.
Spotted litter frog, Malaysia.
This deranged-looking guy is a spotted litter frog (Leptobrachium hendricksoni), and I found him in Malaysia at the big national park east of KL. I really need eyes like that -- they would help me make friends and influence people...
I love the deep golden eye on this little frog!
This is another frog from La Selva. I've only found two and both have been in wet areas.
Unidentified
Not much bigger than my thumbnail!
Tropical frogs can be extremely small and it took me a while to adjust my thinking and stop thinking of frogs as being 4"-5" long. Only then did I begin to spot the smaller species.
Could be Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni. I love photographing these tiny glass frogs!
Another one that's looking for a good ID.
Dendrobates auratus, Costa Rica
This is an easy-to-find, common, and diurnal frog in the forest at La Selva Biological Station. They are usually about two inches long. I find these little poison dart frogs difficult photographic subjects. They seem to live in heavily shaded areas. So I either have to use a high ISO (which I don't want to do) or use flash. But with flash, the green areas of skin seem to have a weird reflective characteristic -- almost metallic, while the black areas absorb light like crazy and sorta go "dead." In person, the green is a bit flatter, but I've never seen one sitting in bright sun. Perhaps they look more like this. I suppose I could get a better shot if I used a second, off-camera flash. But it is difficult to position a second flash when the subject tends to move about randomly. This shot was taken with a single flash unit and a DIY diffuser.