I didn't take this picture; these little critters are far too elusive
for me! And the information is swiped from "Welcome
to Puerto Rico!" But the Coqui is a big part of my memories of Puerto
Rico; every evening we listened to his call. So I really had to include
him in my album!
The Coqui is
a batrarian, having two separate toes with suckers. The zoological name
of this species, Eleutherodactylus, exceeds of the creature itself in length.
More than 16 different species live on the island. It is not web-footed
and has no swimming membrane between its fingers and toes. The Coqui -
little frog, as it is called in Puerto Rico, has only a minute tail when
it is born and this quickly disappears. It measures between 15mm and 80mm
and the color of the Coqui varies considerably, sometimes having touches
of different colors or two dorsolateral stripes. One of the characteristics
of the Puerto Ricans Coquies is that it does not go through the intermediate
phase of being a tadpole as other frogs do.
It is very popular creature throughout the island and livens up the
evenings with its timid ko-kee, from which it get its name. You can find
the Coqui at the margin of forests where the area receives a large amount
of moisture, in highlands or lowlands, arid places or in caves, depending
on the species.
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