Coquí

Description:

The Puerto Rican coquí is a very small - tiny - tree frog about one inch long. Some coquíes look green, some brown and some yellowish - actually they are translucent. Coquíes have a high pitched sound and can be heard from far away. The coquíes begin to sing when the sun goes down at dusk. Their melody serenades islanders to sleep. Coquíes sing all night long until dawn when they stop singing and head for the nest. Puerto Ricans love their coquíes and have written poems, stories, and Aguinaldos about them. During the time of the Taíno Indians trillions of coquíes serenated our ancestral home. Many Taíno Indian myths surround the coquí. Coquíes are found in much of the Taíno art like pictographs and pottery. In Puerto Rico all coquíes are called coquí even though not all sing ''co-quí''. Only two of the species the ''Coquí Común'' and the ''Coquí de la Montaña or Coquí Puertorriqueño'' actually sing ''co-quí''. Puerto Rican coquíes have relatives all over Latin America. The coquí genre is found in all the Caribbean Islands, and in Central and South America. But again, the only ones that make the sound ''co-quí'' are Puerto Rican. The scientific name for the coquí is Eleu-thero-dactylus, characterized because they have no webbed toes. There are 16 different species in Puerto Rico and all of them have padded discs at the end of their toes which helps them climb. Coquíes are classified as amphibians - a grouping for cold blooded vertebrates that includes frogs, toads, or newts -that are able to live in both water and land. Contrary to frogs, the coquíes do not go through a tadpole stage and break out of their egg - a small replica of their parents. Some coquíes are terrestrial some are arboreal. The Coquí Dorado is the only specie in the world that bears live young. The male coquí sings - not the female. That means that in Puerto Rico we hear only half the coquíes singing. The male coquí watches over the eggs. The eggs hatch in 28 days and the young coquíes remain in the nest for an additional 5 days. Again the male coquí watches over them until they leave the nest. When there is more light either from the moon or from street lights, there are less coquíes to be heard. Therefore there are more coquíes in isolated areas like the mountains. The specie ''Puerto Rican coquí'' sings co-quí, co-quí, co-quí at dusk and changes to co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí, at dawn. It is arboreal - climbing to the top of trees in search of insects. There it remains until dawn when it changes its song and jumps down nesting until the evening. Coquíes are in danger of extinction and actually two of them are already extinct - the Coquí Dorado and the Coquí Palmeado. Others are endangered species like the Coquí Caoba and the Coquí de Eneida. Why are coquíes in extinction? Because of deforestation. People have destroyed their habitat or homes (nests) destroying their eggs and destroying their source of food and nourishment.

Habitat:

Common Coquís are native to the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra where they are widespread and abundant; the only notable exception occurring in Puerto Rican dry forests where the species is rarer. The species has been introduced to the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic,[6] Florida, and Hawaii,[7] where it has become a densely populated invasive species. It was accidentally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1980s, and quickly established itself on all four major islands. It is now considered a pest species by the State of Hawaii, and is on the list of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species.[8] The Common Coquí is the most abundant frog in Puerto Rico with densities estimated at 20,000 individuals/ha,[9] and as an invasive species can reach up to 91,000 individuals/ha in Hawaii.[10] Higher densities in its invaded range are likely bolstered by a release from native predators, lack of interspecific competitors, and abundant food availability. Densities fluctuate depending on the season and habitat. Generally, densities are higher during the latter half of the wet season and decrease during the dry season.[11] The species is considered a habitat generalist, occurring in a wide range of habitats including mesic broadleaf forests, mountains, urban areas, bromeliads, tree holes, and under trunks, rocks or trash.[12] Since the species does not require bodies of water to reproduce, they can be found on most altitudes provided there is sufficient moisture. In Puerto Rico they are found from sea level to a maximum of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) while in Hawaii they have been found at a maximum of 1,170 metres (3,840 ft).[13] Adults generally tend to be found at higher altitudes than juveniles.

Notes:

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