Two-toed Sloth with baby

The gestation period of the Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) is between 11 and 12 months and results always in the birth of a single young. The mother will nurse the baby about 1 month. I was very fortunate to see the caring mother with her cute and fluffy baby:

Happy Valentine's Day!

I would not call myself a romantic guy and I've never paid much attention to Valentine's Day. In addition, the distance to my girlfriend is currently almost 10.000 km. So there is no fancy dinner, candlelight, and... you know what. Nevertheless, I would like to seize the opportunity to show some happy couples. Frog couples.

Smilisca phaeota is a relatively large frog with adult size reaching up to 78 mm (3.1 in). The dark brown patch that starts at the tip of the snout and continues through the eye and the eardrum, along the frog's face, is the reason for their common name: Masked Tree Frog.

This rarely seen Spiny Glass Frog (Teratohyla spinosa) messures only about 2 cm (0.8 in). It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

In most frog species the males are smaller than the females, because when they mate the female carries the male on its back. This is called Amplexus (Latin "embrace"). The sexual dimorphism is particularly evident in this pair of Chiriqui Robber Frog (Pristimantis cruentus). Remarkable how small the male is in relation to the female

To conclude, I want to show you a cool observation of Red-eyed Tree Frogs (Agalychnis callidryas). The female attaches a clutch of eggs to the underside of a leaf and the male is about to fertilize them.


www.amphibiaweb.org
Leenders, T. 2001 A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica Zona Tropical
Savage, J. 2002 The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica

Tlalocohyla loquax - Mahogany Treefrog

The Mahogany Treefrog is a relatively uncommon nocturnal species. This medium-sized frog (approximately: males 39 mm, females 43 mm) occurs in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. In Costa Rica, it is found exclusively in the northeast, at elevations below 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Breeding primarily takes place in deep bodies of standing water.

The scientific name Tlalocohyla loquax refers to their loud calls. They are definitely very loquacious.
Only the males call, in order to attract females. Listen to this:

Their body is greatly inflated, when they are calling. So they look like little yellowish bubbles.

In this low angle shot we can see the red coloration around the legs.

I like the facial expression! Proud posture with a happy smile. "Did you hear that? That was me!"


Source: amphibiaweb.org, iucnredlist.org