Amphibians
Lowland Burrowing Treefrog
Smilisca fodiens · also called lowland burrowing treefrogs
After months buried beneath the desert floor sealed inside a moisture-retaining cocoon, a lowland burrowing treefrog emerges the moment summer monsoon rain finally soaks the ground, joining others to breed in a temporary pool before disappearing underground once more.
Overview
The lowland burrowing treefrog, Smilisca fodiens, is a stout, desert-adapted amphibian native to desert habitat across southern Arizona and adjacent parts of northern Mexico. Its near-total dependence on underground dormancy, moisture-sealing cocoon, and explosive monsoon-triggered breeding make it one of the more extreme desert specialists among North American treefrogs.
A treefrog that rarely sees a tree
Despite carrying the adhesive toe pads typical of its treefrog relatives, the lowland burrowing treefrog spends so much of its life buried underground that climbing plays only a minor role in how it actually survives the desert.
Status
Least Concern, present across suitable desert habitat within its range in southern Arizona and adjacent Mexico.
Lowland Burrowing Treefrog: common questions
How does the lowland burrowing treefrog survive the desert dry season?
This species spends the great majority of the year buried underground in desert soil, forming a cocoon from layers of shed skin that helps seal in moisture, a strategy that allows it to survive extended dry periods without access to surface water until sufficient rain finally arrives.
When does the lowland burrowing treefrog breed?
This species breeds in an explosive burst of activity triggered specifically by heavy summer monsoon rainfall, with adults emerging together from their underground burrows to call and breed in temporary desert pools that form after the rain, pools that may not last long before drying up again.
Does the lowland burrowing treefrog climb like other treefrogs?
This species has adhesive toe pads typical of treefrogs generally, but given its largely underground, burrowing lifestyle, it climbs and uses these pads considerably less often than more strictly arboreal treefrog relatives, reserving most of its above-ground activity for the brief window following monsoon rains.
Where does the lowland burrowing treefrog live?
This species is native to desert habitat across southern Arizona and adjacent parts of northern Mexico, spending most of its life underground within this range rather than actively ranging across the surface for extended periods.