27 Coqui Facts: Everything You Need To Know About Peru's Frog

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Oct 11, 2023 By Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Originally Published on Jan 17, 2022
One of the most interesting coqui facts is, in Puerto Rico, these are native species however when it come to Hawaiin islands they are invasive species.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 4.5 Min

Coqui is known to be the most common term used to address tiny frogs in Puerto Rico.

Male coquí frogsare known for their very loud mating calls, during the mating season the coqui frogs make a loud noise to attract the female. The coqui frog is known to make loud mating calls, however coquí populations that make such loud calls are only found in Puerto Rico.

The name of the coqui frog is given to them seeing their behavioral practice of making loud noises at night. Some people also assume that the name coqui means loud noise in the native language.

A coquí frog is much different than other fellow frogs or other frog species. Usually, most frogs have webbed feet, when it comes to the Coquí population they don't have webbed feet.

Facts About Coqui Frogs

When it comes to Puerto Rican species, the coqui frog is one of the most wide spread frog species.

  • Puerto Rican coquis live in Puerto Rico and are native species of Puerto Rico.
  • These species very so often face problems with other invasive species, they, however, are growing at a good rate.
  • These frogs are known to hide in forest canopy during night times.
  • Coquis are also found in some nearby regions as well. The same can happen, as these frogs are very small, they sometimes hide in infested nursery plants and during the shipment of these plants, they land in new islands.
  • The juvenile frog of this species very often releases loud calls at night to attract any female frogs in the area.
  • These amphibian populations have special toes which are used to climb on vertical surfaces.
  • Their natural habitats often require these small frogs to climb in a vertical direction.
  • There are a lot many things that are special about these native species. The coqui frog's skin is very similar to the Caribbean frog's species.
  • These are invasive species.
  • The male coquí frog also looks very similar to the greenhouse frog species as well, however sometimes people think these frogs are poisonous.

Coqui frogs habitat

A coqui frog can look from anywhere light yellow to dark brown. These frogs are extremely small and are only 1 in (2.5 cm) in size.

  • They are different than other frogs, they don't have webbed toe pads. Their toes are separate from one another and they have a pretty broad snout.
  • Their body shape is round and they are sometimes of the color cinnamon.
  • These frogs are native to Puerto Rico and are found Puerto Rico in large numbers. One can catch a coqui either in a garden or under rocks, they often hide during the daytime.
  • No species of coqui is poisonous, not even the mountain coqui, they are rather one of the most resilient species of Puerto Rico fighting back invasive species. However, these frogs are also one of the important parts of Puerto Rican culture.
  • They are also one of the known but unofficial symbols of Puerto Rico when it comes to forest territories since they live with terrestrial plants.
Coquis love to live in banana plants since they provide enough moisture and shade to the frogs.

Coqui Frogs' Significance In Peru

They are known as the native species of Puerto Rico and are very much famous and known in that region. These frogs are often hunted by birds and snakes.

  • A coqui mainly eats spiders, roaches, or crickets, they also eat ants.
  • Although, coquis are found in nearby regions as well and they are known to live in Hawaii as well, but when they shift to other regions their characteristics change.
  • Only the coquis of Puerto Rico make the loud calls, the rest of the coquis are often mixed species and they don't show this character that much.
  • In Hawaii, coquis are bad news, they are predator species and they invade other areas such as Hawaii and prey on their arthropod species.
  • Since coquis have a large appetite they often eat a lot and are bad news to the arthropod species of the regions they invade.
  • They are important for Peru since on the small islands of Peru, the voices of these small frogs echo at night and it has now become a territorial symbol for these islands.

Diet Of Coqui Facts

Since some coquis look very similar to a number of poisonous species, sometimes the native people trap them thinking they are poisonous, a golden coquí frog trapped in these islands is not a rare sight, as they look very much like some poisonous frogs.

  • Although the diet of these frogs is strictly arthropod, some larger coquis are also seen eating other smaller kinds of frogs.
  • It's also common for coqui to eat mosquitos, however, they don't eat them much, smaller coquis mostly rely on ants and small spiders for their diet.
  • Their diet also strictly depends on their habitat.
  • It's known that the coquis are known to favor some plants more than others.
  • They like living on banana plants, heliconia, and as well as flowering plants.
  • When it comes to flowering plants they like orchids, daisies, and ginger. Thus in such cases, they eat spiders and ants more or other kinds of bugs that are attracted to the flowers.
  • They mostly prefer banana plants for their habitat, as these plants are a good source of shade and they also provide the tiny coqui with lots of moisture.

Facts

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Written by Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason

Bachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason picture

Adekunle Olanrewaju JasonBachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

With over 3+ years of professional experience, Olanrewaju is a certified SEO Specialist and Content Writer. He holds a BSc in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. Throughout his dynamic career, Olanrewaju has successfully taken on various roles with startups and established organizations. He has served as a Technical Writer, Blogger, SEO Specialist, Social Media Manager, and Digital Marketing Manager. Known for his hardworking nature and insightful approach, Olanrewaju is dedicated to continuous learning and improvement.
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