Download Coquí Tree Frog

Coquí Tree Frog
The Name:
The name "coquí" is often used to describe about 16 different species of amphibians. The name comes
from the song that the male of the species is often heard singing in the forest. What it seems to say is:
"cokeé, cokeé". That's why it is called "coquí" in Spanish. Puerto Ricans love their coquíes and have
written poems, stories, and Aguinaldos about them. Many Taíno Indian myths surround the coquí. When
you look at Puerto Rican Taíno art you can see that the coquí meant a lot to them. Coquíes are found in
much of the Taíno art like pictographs and pottery.
Description:
The coqui varies greatly in coloring and markings. Some have lines or bands that go down the center of
their backs. Others have lines on their sides and some of these also have lines going between the eyes.
The Puerto Rican coquí is a very tiny and small tree frog only about one inch long. Some coquíes look
green, some brown and some yellowish - actually they are translucent. Coquíes have a high pitched sound
and can be heard from far away. The coquíes begin to sing when the sun goes down at dusk. Their melody
serenades islanders to sleep. Coquíes sing all night long until dawn when they stop singing and head back
to the nest.
Habitat:
A large amount of these frogs live in Puerto Rico.
However, some Puerto Rican species have also been introduced to other countries. Coqui commonly lives
in some gardens in Florida and Panama. There are more than 500 species of Coqui from Mexico to the
North of Argentina as well as in the Caribbean islands. Coquíes are in danger of extinction and actually
two of them are already extinct - the Coquí Dorado and the Coquí Palmeado. Others are endangered
species like the Coquí Caoba and the Coquí de Eneida. Why are coquíes in extension? Because of
deforestation. People have destroyed their habitat often destroying their eggs and destroying their
source of food and nourishment.
Habits:
In the lowlands the coquí is smaller sized and sings quickly. In the highlands, the same type of frog tends
to be much larger and sings more slowly. Perhaps the frogs are communicating the changes in
temperature. When there is more light either from the moon or from street lights, there are less
coquíes. Therefore there are more coquíes in isolated areas like the mountains. The coquies climb to the
top of trees in search of insects. There it remains until dawn when it changes its song and jumps down.
Then it nests until the evening
Small Indian Mongoose
General Information:
The Small Indian Mongoose was first brought to Puerto Rico from the Malay Peninsula in 1877 in an
attempt to control the Black rat that was eating all of sugar cane plants. It should be noted that the
rats were also immigrants to the island, having initially arrived with Columbus and other Spanish ships!
Description:
The Small Indian Mongoose has a head and body length of 9 to 25 inches and a tail length of 9 to 20
inches. It weighs from 14 ounces to 30 pounds. The local species is a grayish brown. The underbody is
lighter than the back and sides. The fur is long and coarse. The body is slender with a long tail. There
are five digits on each limb, with the hind foot bare of fur to the heel and the foreclaws sharp and
curved.
Habits:
The mongoose may be either active in the day or nocturnal. Basically a land animal, they are very agile,
and can climb skillfully. The mongoose shelters in hollow logs or dens in the ground. During the morning,
the mongoose stretches out to sun itself. They feed on insects, frogs, snakes, birds, and other small
animals as well as fruits. Mongooses breed throughout the year producing up to 5 litters in 18 months.
The mongoose is in the mother’s belly for 42 days before it is born. Litters contain from 1 to 4 young
that are weaned in 4 to 5 weeks. Mongooses are reported to live 20 years but can live up to 40 years.
Habitat:
The mongoose shelters in hollow logs or trees, holes in the ground (dens) or rock crevices.
Look for it in the Puerto Rican Rain Forest:
Mongooses can be found throughout the forest; along the roads and trails and occasionally in the parking
lots. WARNING: Mongooses can be infected with rabies. Do not approach them at any time. Observe
them from a safe distance. If you observe an animal acting strangely, please report its location and
behavior as quickly as possible to the nearest USFS employee.
More information @ http://www.elboricua.com/BoricuaKids_ElYunque.html
Sawfly
General Information:
Sawflies are a group of insects related to wasps and bees. Their name is derived from the saw-like
ovipositor (the organ the adult female uses to lay eggs). Adult sawflies closely resemble wasps, but do
not sting. The larval or immature stages of sawflies are plant feeders and resemble hairless caterpillars.
Sawflies often feed in groups and can quickly take leaves off of a portion of a tree or plant. Each
species of Sawfly prefers feeding on a specific plant or group of plants.
Description:
Sawfly adults are dark-colored with the female somewhat longer (8 mm) than the male (6 mm). They
have thin, transparent wings. Forewings and the smaller hind wings hook together in flight. Larvae look
very much like the caterpillar larvae of butterflies except that they are hairless and have more than six
soft legs (butterfly larva have less than five).
Habits:
The female’s saw-like ovipositor (egg-laying organ) punctures the host plant injecting her eggs into the
surface to protect them while they develop into larvae. The location of the egg deposit can be found by
looking for tiny brown marks in rows on the host plant. The complete life cycle is: egg-larva-pupa-adult.
Habitat:
Sawfly larvae can be found on Seagrape, Moralón and other Coccoloba plants, which are found in the
mountains of Puerto Rico. They cause loss of leaves of the trees and are considered a pest.
Where to look for this animal in the Puerto Rico Rain Forest:
On or near the leaves of the seagrape plant.
More information @ http://www.elboricua.com/BoricuaKids_ElYunque.html
Puerto Rican Boa
http://www.saczoo.org/Document.Doc?id=370
Habitat/range:
On the ground or in trees hanging from branches or vines in Puerto Rico.
Diet:
Rats, mice and bats. Young Boas eat lizards and insects.
Fun fact:
Boas engulf their prey intact, starting with the head, after asphyxiating them with their body coils.
More information @ http://www.elboricua.com/BoricuaKids_ElYunque.html