Blue tree frog

[val douest]

We found a small tree frog in the garden today (about 5 cms long) - and it was blue!. 

[IMG]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc147/valeriewest/bluetreefrog.jpg[/IMG]

Can anyone tell me more about blue tree frogs??  It really was as blue as in the picture!

Thanks,

Val

[chris pp]

That's absolutely brilliant Val.[:D] It is as you say, (well you didn't say but I think you knew), Rainette Méridionale (Stripeless treefrog), but why is it blue? It's blue because it is lacking in yellow pigment, yellow plus blue giving us green. A blue one is quite exceptional and they can also be black, brown or grey, always as a variation in the pigments present.

You know what's coming next... can I use the photo? Obviously with your name as a credit.

Chris

[val douest]

I'd be delighted for you to use the photo, Chris.  Are you OK downloading it from the forum or would you prefer me to send it as an e-mail attachment?  And thanks for the information on the pigment; we thought it must be some kind of aberration as we couldn't find anything on a blue sub-species.

Val

[chris pp]

Be great if you could send it as an e-mail attachment Val, then I can re size it better on my computer.

E-Mail.  [email protected]

Is Val Douest the name you want put with any credit?

It's an amazing thing really about the colour, the herpetologist "on the team" is going to be interested in that one, I'm frightened to mention it to him, he'll blind me with science until I'm blue in the face.[;-)]

Chris

[sharkhunter]

Maybe the poor wee thing was frozen................