Sweat Frog

Sweat frogs are a small species of frog from the Phalan Forest of Norrab. These frog species sweat profusely, which contains an important chemical used in an unreliable witherback cobra antivenom.

Sweat frogs are the only species within its family on Norrab. While other sweat frogs exist on other planets, they are still a rare family of frogs.

Anatomy

Eggy Placeholder by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Sweat frogs are closely related to poison dart frogs and cryptic forest frogs, in the same superfamily. These animals are some of the largest in the superfamily, sometimes reaching ten centimetres in length. Sweat frogs are typically a light green colour with prominent yellow/orange/red spots on their backs. This vivid colouration is a form of aposematism, making predators aware that these frogs are poisonous, and should not eat them.

Several glands around the body, especially on the top of the skull and the spine, constantly produce sweat. The glands are so large that in some individuals pores can reach up to two millimetres in diameter. Sweat forever oozes out of these frogs, another deterrent for predators.

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Superfamily: Dendrobatoidea
Family: Sudoradendrobatidae
Genus: Sudoradendrobatis
Species: S. viridis

Extra Information

Body Colouration:
Spot Colouration:
Average Length: 6 - 10cm cm
Average Lifespan: 6 months - 4 years

Diet

Sweat frogs have a diet of small insects. These animals are stealth hunters, relying on chemicals in their sweat to attract prey, lashing out with their giant tongues. Sweat frogs typicaly consume sweatflies, a species known to be very attracted to sweat frogs.

Due to intriguing medicinal properties of sweatflies, many ethnic groups in the forest utilise sweat frogs to attract these flies.

Reproduction & Growth

Eggy Placeholder by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Devoted parents, sweat frogs will lay hundreds of eggs in large carnivorous plants. The size of these frogs means that carnivorous plants such as apostle's brush will not attempt to eat them, but will other species. Sweat produced from the frogspawn attract small insects, which the plants consume instead.

The tadpoles are hatched and transported into small ponds on the forest floor or in large cup-shaped leaves. The frogs will guard the tadpoles with their lives, producing loud croaking noises to deter predators.

In the parenting stage these frogs produce small hair-like bristles on their legs. They will rub their legs together when predators approach; the bristles cause intense itching and drive other animals crazy.

Habitat

Sweat frogs are a semi-arboreal species, just as comfortable within the canopies of trees as they are on the ground. They are often found in ground-level pools of water, as well as in pools within cup-shaped leaves or tree cavities. Waterleak trees are a common tree species that attract many sweat frogs, due to its ideal infrastructure for laying eggs and raising tadpoles.

Behaviour

Wild sweat frogs are quite shy, hiding from the occasional traveller within the Phalan Forest. Their bright colours deter predators instead of relying on camouflage and crypsis. Their ability to attract prey to them means they burn very little energy when they don't need to, and the survival rate of the tadpoles is considerably high at 2%.

Relationship with People

Sweat frogs have a long history with the people of Norrab. Few people live in the Phalan Forest, but these animals have been utilised by people in both the forest and the Looming Desert for thousands of years. The sweat produced by these frogs contain chemicals that aid in curing ichor poisoning. Witherback cobras are a lethal snake species that turn blood into ichor when bitten, and the sweat from these frogs seems to reverse the process to some extent.

While not a perfect solution, if enough concentrated sweat is ingested immediately after being bitten (no more than a minute after), the effects seem to clear. Not enough evidence has been gathered to declare this antivenom 100% effective, but studies are ongoing.

Scientific Name

Sudoradendrobatis viridis

Lifespan

6 months - 2 years

Average Length

6 - 10 cm

Geographic Distribution

• Norrab
• Phalan Forest
• Wandering Woods

Related Articles