Did you know that the Red-Eyed Tree frog uses those big eyes to help them swallow? True story. They close their eyes when they catch an insect and their tiny

teeth hold it in place. Next, they retract their eyes into their body which then pushes the insect down their throat. Those are springy eyes so they can get on the move!

I bet you are wondering why they have red eyes thinking that it would be a disadvantage to them when in fact it’s the opposite. The colors on their bodies are strategically placed for survivability. The bold green body color allows them to camouflage with the leaves (they spend a lot of time in trees) when they tuck in their colorful blue & yellow striped back legs to hide from predators. When found out they open those big red eyes to startle the predators allowing them to escape.

Now for the mating process which is interesting in itself.  The males descend from trees to bodies of water & call out to the females. The females respond which turns into a big frenzy. A female picks her mate & they go into amplexus which is where the female carries the male on her back, like a backpack. She draws in water so she can lay her eggs for him to hop off her back & fertilize externally on the bottom of a leaf. I would say this takes on the term “froggy style.”