Siberian Tree Frog

Taxobox
name = Siberian Tree Frog
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
trend =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Amphibia
ordo = Anura
familia = Ranidae
genus = "Rana"
species = "R. amurensis"
binomial = "Rana amurensis"
binomial_authority = Boulenger, 1886

The Siberian Tree Frog, Siberian Wood Frog or Amur Brown Frog ("Rana amurensis") is a species of true frog found in northern Asia. It ranges across most of Siberia, as well as northeastern China, northeastern Mongolia, and on the northern and southwestern Korean Peninsula and on Sakhalin. Favoring lowlands, it is seldom encountered at elevations of more than 600 meters. According to the IUCN, the chief threat to the species is habitat loss, as it is only mildly tolerant of disturbance. In addition, it has become a frequent subject of hunting in Russia since the 1990s. It is not considered threatened on a global scale though.

A habitat generalist, the Siberian tree frog favors open ground but is also found in both deciduous and coniferous forests. In the winter it hibernates on pond bottoms. Adults are light brown with smooth skin and irregular dark brown and yellow stripes, with a body length of 2-2.5 centimeters.

The Siberian tree frog favors beetles, and consumes 1.2-2.5 grams of food per day. The average lifespan is three years. A 2004 study estimated that Siberian tree frogs consume approximately 450 g of invertebrates in the course of their life, of which beetles make up more than 65%. [ [http://www.cababstractsplus.org/google/abstract.asp?AcNo=20043086466 CAB Abstracts ] ] Their breeding season is very early, starting in late February in Korea. An egg sac contains 30-60 eggs.

Notes

References

*cite web|work=Amphibian Species of the World 5.0|title=Rana amurensis|url=http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=22611|accessdate=2007-06-12
*IUCN2006|title=Rana amurensis|assessors= Kuzmin, S., Maslova, I., Matsui, M. & Wenge, Z.|year=2004|id=58542|downloaded=2006-06-12
*cite web|url=http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=756332|title=아무르산개구리|work=Naver Encyclopedia|accessdate=2007-06-12