AnimaliaHighest rank in taxonomy. Groups all life into domains: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, etc.IUCN ENInternational Union for Conservation of Nature — the world authority on species extinction risk, using standardized criteria. — Endangered — faces a very high risk of extinction if threats are not urgently addressed.In ProgressCurrent stage of this record in the editorial review workflow. Recent Sighting
Gastrotheca cornuta
Horned Marsupial Frog
Boulenger, 1898
Detailed Texts Multi-lang
A large, distinctively robust tree frog immediately recognized by prominent, triangular dermal flaps located above each eye, mimicking small horns or the tips of dead leaves. The body coloration is highly cryptic, typically consisting of warm shades of tan, brown, yellowish-brown, or grey, often adorned with dark transverse bars or a subtle outline that breaks its silhouette against the moss and bark. The skin on its back is relatively smooth in appearance but conceals a specialized pouch structure in females. The fingers are largely free of webbing, whereas the toes display moderate webbing, ending in large, rounded adhesive pads. Its eyes are strikingly large, with a bronze to coppery-orange iris and a vertical, slit-like pupil adapted for acute nocturnal hunting in the upper forest canopy.
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Julia Trouin
TaxonomyBiological classification ranks placing this species within the tree of life, from Kingdom down to Genus.
PhylumRank below Kingdom. Groups organisms sharing a fundamental body plan (e.g., Chordata = vertebrates and some invertebrates).Chordata
ClassRank below Phylum. Subdivides by structural traits (e.g., Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Insecta).Amphibia
OrderRank below Class. Groups related families sharing common ancestry (e.g., Carnivora, Primates).Anura
FamilyRank below Order. Groups closely related genera (e.g., Felidae = cats, Canidae = dogs).Hemiphractidae
GenusRank just above Species. The first word in the two-part binomial scientific name.Gastrotheca
Taxonomic AuthorityThe scientist who first formally described and published this species, followed by the year of publication.Boulenger, 1898
Record Completeness
96%Coming soon
Ecology & StatusHow this species lives: habitat preferences, diet, behavior, population status, and role in its ecosystem.
OriginWhether the species is native (evolved here), endemic (found only here), or introduced by human activity.
Native
Population TrendDirection of change in population size over time: increasing, stable, decreasing, or unknown.
Decreasing
Breeding SeasonTime of year when this species typically reproduces or flowers.
Year Round
Trophic RolePosition in the food chain: producer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, or parasite.
Carnivore
Recent SightingsWhether this species has been observed in the wild in Costa Rica within recent years.
Yes
Habitat SummaryOverview of the specific ecosystems and environments where this species is found in Costa Rica. Multi-lang
Inhabits primary tropical moist lowland forests and premontane wet forests, demonstrating an extreme reliance on undisturbed, contiguous old-growth tree stands. It is a strict canopy specialist, living high above the ground at elevations ranging from 100 up to roughly 1,000 meters. Geographically, it is located along the Caribbean and Pacific slopes of southern Central America and northwestern South America, establishing fragmented populations in Costa Rica, Panama, western Colombia, and northwestern Ecuador.BehaviourDaily activity patterns, movement, territory use, foraging style, and seasonal behavioral changes. Multi-lang
Strictly nocturnal and highly arboreal, remaining hidden within the multi-layered canopy foliage during daylight hours. At night, it moves slowly and deliberately along branches, employing vertical clinging tactics rather than explosive jumps to avoid falling from extreme heights. Males utilize a distinct acoustic strategy, emitting a loud, single, explosive pop or click that sounds like a water droplet hitting a surface, functioning as a territorial advertisement call designed to penetrate the dense rainforest canopy.Social ActivitySocial structure: whether the species is solitary, paired, or colonial; hierarchy and communication. Multi-lang
Maintains a solitary social structure, with wide spatial distribution within the forest canopy. Contact between individuals is strictly driven by reproductive biological requirements. Males establish calling sites on tall branches, utilizing sharp acoustic signals to define territories and avoid physical confrontation with adjacent calling males.Feeding GuildWhat the species eats, how it forages or hunts, and its role as a consumer in the food web. Multi-lang
Arboreal canopy invertivore, specialized in large nocturnal flying and crawling insects.Trophic Chain DetailsSpecific interactions in local food webs: prey species, predators, competitors, and scavengers. Multi-lang
Acts as an specialized secondary consumer in the canopy ecosystem. Its diet is largely composed of medium-to-large nocturnal insects, orthopterans, katydids, and small arboreal invertebrates. Because of its permanent high-altitude lifestyle, adult frogs are mostly vulnerable to specialized avian predators such as forest falcons, owls, and larger arboreal colubrid snakes. Since they bypass the aquatic tadpole stage, they do not participate in aquatic food chains.Reproductive BehaviourMating strategies, courtship displays, nesting or spawning behavior, and parental care. Multi-lang
Possesses a unique, specialized brooding reproductive investment strategy. During amplexus on branches, the male assists in pushing the fertilized eggs into an opening on the lower back of the female, which seals into a closed internal pouch (marsupium). The eggs develop inside this vascularized chamber for months. There is no free-swimming tadpole stage; development is completely direct. When development completes, the female uses her hind feet to open the pouch slits and releases up to several dozen tiny, fully developed froglets directly into the canopy foliage.Physical Measures
Length (cm)
6.8 - 8.5 cm
Weight (Grams)
30 g - 75 g
Offspring per cycleTypical number of young (live births, eggs, or seeds) produced by one adult in a single reproductive event or breeding season.15 - 40
Sexual DimorphismObservable physical differences between males and females of the same species (e.g., size, coloration, features).Yes
Lifespan
Sexual MaturityAge at which the individual becomes capable of reproducing for the first time.
20 - 26 Months
Gestation / IncubationDuration from fertilization to birth (mammals) or to hatching (egg-laying species).
60 - 95
Lifespan EstimatedExpected duration of life from birth to natural death under wild conditions.
Males5 - 10 Years
Females5 - 12 Years
Sexual DimorphismPhysical differences in size, coloration, or morphology between males and females of this species.
Males Multi-lang
Adult males are physically smaller than females, typically reaching a snout-vent length of 6.8 to 7.8 cm. They display distinct vocal slits and subgular vocal sacs that expand notably during calling periods. They lack the specialized cutaneous dorsal pouch found in females.
Females Multi-lang
Adult females are noticeably larger and heavier, ranging from 7.5 up to 8.5 cm in snout-vent length. Their primary distinguishing characteristic is the presence of a functional dorsal brood pouch located beneath the skin of the lower back, which becomes heavily distended and visually lumpy when filled with developing, large-yolked eggs.
Evolutionary AdaptationsInherited traits and behaviors that improve the species' survival and reproduction in its specific environment. Multi-lang
Triangular dermal flaps above the eyes paired with irregular body lines that break the typical outline of a frog, allowing it to mimic a dead leaf fallen among mosses or epiphytes in the high branches.
A highly specialized internal maternal brood pouch (marsupium) on the female's back, complete with vascularized maternal tissue that facilitates gas and fluid exchange with expanding embryos, completely bypassing the need for standing water bodies.
Main ThreatsDocumented pressures reducing the population: habitat loss, hunting, disease, climate change, and invasive species. Multi-lang
Severe habitat fragmentation due to agricultural expansion and logging, which isolates small populations and eliminates the high, ancient canopy microclimates essential for adult survival.
Susceptibility to the devastating chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), which has historically decimed montane amphibian numbers throughout Central and South America.
Interesting FactsSurprising or notable facts that highlight what makes this species unique or ecologically important. Multi-lang
Unlike most frogs that lay thousands of small eggs in ponds, the female Gastrotheca cornuta produces some of the largest amphibian eggs known (up to 1 cm in diameter), rich in yolk to sustain full direct development inside her pouch.