The Cuban tree frogs get into homes and can be especially annoying. Cuban tree frogs can enter homes in a variety of ways. They my jump through open doors and windows, be brought into a house inadvertently on an ornamental plant, or get into a home’s plumbing system through vent pipes on the roof. When Cuban tree frogs gain access through vent pipes of a home plumbing system they usually end up in a bathroom. There are numerous instances where unsuspecting people have opened the lid to their toilet only to find a by eyed Cuban tree frog staring up at them. Cuban tree frogs have also been responsible for clogging sink drains.
What they look like?
Body colour is highly variable, ranging from whitish to gray, green, or brown, and may be marked with irregular, dark stripes or blotches that fade when the frog changes colour. Skin is warty (some warts quite prominent). The armpits and groin may be washed with yellow. Juvenile body colour is olive-brown; sides are often marked with light stripes. Juveniles often have reddish eyes, and blue bones that can best be seen through the skin on the underside of the hind legs (show in the lower left inset image above). Like all tree frogs, this species has enlarged, sticky toe pads; toe pads are quite large in this species, usually much wider than the toe pads of native tree frogs.
Behavior:
Cuban Tree Frogs eat bbeetles, roaches, spiders, other small invertebrates, also small frogs, lizards, and snakes.
How they got here:
Native to Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas.
Effects on Biodiversity:
In natural and urban settings, Cuban treefrogs willeat native tree frogs, as well as lizards and many invertebrates.
Effects on people and the economy:
Cuban tree frogs thrive in human-modified areas, and populations can be dense enough to be a nuisance. These tree frogs often enter homes through doors, windows, and plumbing.
Cuban tree frogs can cause the following problems in homes:
1. Clogged drains
2. Egg masses in pools and decorative ponds (which cause a subsequent increase of Cuban tree frogs around the home)
3. Occupying nesting boxes meant for birds
4. Burning and irritation of eyes and nose from contact with Cuban tree frogs
5. Power interruptions because the frogs get into transformers and electrical switches and cause short circuits
How to combat these invasive species:
You can reduce Cuban tree frog impacts by eliminating their eggs and potential breeding sites.
CUBAN TREE FROG (Osteopilusseptentrionalis)
Invasive Alien Species