It cannot be argued that the air element has widely encompassed the class of amphibians (amphibians). There are not so many frog aeronauts. Today, only representatives of the family of copepods can be observed in the airspace of planet Earth.
Copepod frogs - who are they?
Of course, it's too early to say that the frogs have mastered the air. The so-called representatives of the amphibian copepod family are the only more or less flying frogs. They do not fly higher than tree crowns, but they do not cease to be amazing creatures.
If you look closely at the copepod frogs sitting on a branch of a tree, it will not be easy to guess that they are about to take off. After all, usually flying animals have wings or special organs that replace them. Flying frogs do not have anything like this at all, but they still take off.
Flight technique
Copepod frogs can be safely called glider pilots! Before making a flight, they kind of inflate their little body, spread their fingers rather wide and stretch the swimming membranes, which have turned into flying membranes in this family of amphibians. Then the aeronautic frogs jump forward, positioning their legs so that, without a shadow of a doubt, turn into a single plane.
It is worth noting that the design of this "flying machine" of the copepod frogs is rather mediocre. For example, leopard flying frogs that live on the islands of the Malay Archipelago can quite easily cover a distance equal to 3/5 of the height from which they jump.
For example, a black-footed frog that lives next to a leopard frog (also in Thailand and Laos), jumping from a height of 10 m, flies 14 m. It is worth noting the Javanese flying frog. She, of course, is less talented than the "blackpaw", but she is still capable of covering distances of 10-12 m.
Flying frog lifestyle
The vast majority of individuals from the family of copepods are predominantly arboreal. Mostly representatives of the genus of flying frogs fly. The fact is that their long toes on their paws are interconnected by special membranes. The tips of these fingers are swollen.
These bulges are necessary so that the frog can firmly hold on to a particular tree trunk. When it sits down, for example, on a smooth leaf, the swellings on the fingers flatten, turning into special suction cups that hold the amphibian on the branches of trees during rest.
Where do they live?
The family of copepods is considered to be quite extensive and includes over 400 different species. The traditional habitats of these glider aeronauts are the tropical zones of Southeast Asia, Japan, Central and South America (including Madagascar), the islands of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
