With the disappearing water habitats, the wonderful creatures that live in and around them are also vanishing.
By ITSIK MAROMThe Middle East tree frog (ilanit)(photo credit: ITSIK MAROM)
Endemic to the Middle East, this small amphibian is trying to survive in an ever declining habitat. In Israel where the Middle East tree frog (ilanit) was once very common, we can now hardly find the little green creature. To increase your chances of seeing it, visit sites that are close to marshes and ponds.The amphibian is perfectly camouflaged making it very hard to spot. The frog wears the colors of the surrounding vegetation with dark stripes along the middle of the body, breaking the body contour. It is a small animal that doesn’t move too much and usually spends time on low hanging leaves and stems. It will do anything to avoid attention from a potential predator in the neighborhood.The tree frog lives most of its life on trees and vegetation where it finds safety and food. When hungry, it hunts insects that land within tongue’s range. The tree frog uses its good vision to evaluate the distance from its prey and then shoots its long sticky tongue in order to catch the insect.The frog spends time in water only for breeding and mating, and during the tadpole stage of its life. The female lays her eggs in the water and when the young hatch they live in the water as tadpoles. After growing legs, they climb out of the water into shrubs and trees and begin the adult stage of their lives. This small animal can live 20 years in the wild.All amphibians must have water in order to support their early stages of life. The problem in Israel is that water habitats are disappearing very quickly. With the disappearing habitats, the wonderful creatures that live in and around them are also vanishing. Our growing needs for houses and buildings make for a dangerous future for wildlife. It makes it vital to carefully choose where to ruin a habitat and where to enforce the protection of the Middle East tree frog and others.
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