EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

A Frog In My Shower

Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea), Family Hylidae
Palmerston, Northern Territory, Australia

Explanation:  Just as I stepped into a shower stall in this camper's park in tropical Top End, Northern Territory, Australia, I was suddenly face to face with this persistent little partner.  This is a green tree frog, common to northern and eastern Australia as well as New Guinea, and quite a commensal with human habitations.

Green tree frogs belong to the family Hylidae, most species of which have adhesive toe discs and that commonly climb rocks, trees, and, in this case, shower curtains.  Perhaps surprisingly, Hylids also have teeth but they are docile to handle.  

The green tree frog -- also known outside of Australia as the dumpy tree frog and White's tree frog -- is one of over 150 species of genus Litoria, an amazingly diverse group that includes several dozen species in Australia alone.  

Amazingly, studies have revealed that this frog's skin secretions can kill staph bacteria associated with herpes simplex.  

And so you know, I moved my friend to the next (empty) stall over, before I would have otherwise doused him with soap and shampoo, and refreshed him with a bit of a shower spray.