Animal Spotlight

Smoky Jungle Frog

Hiding in the leaf litter of the rainforest floor is a nocturnal species of amphibian known as the smoky jungle frog. This frog can grow up to legnths of over 7 inches. Their dark brown bodies and black spots help them stay camouflaged in their environment. Theyu mainly feed on insects and other invertebrates, but fully grown smoky jungle frogs have been known to eat larger prey items such as snakes, birds, other frogs, and occasionally small mammals like mice and even bats!

When you visit the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens you will likely see a flock of bright pink birds! These are not Flamingos, they are Scarlet Ibis! Similar to the Flamingo, Scarlet Ibis get their bright pink coloration from Carotene that is found in the shrimp and crustaceans they eat. They have a long, slender beak used to dig around in shallow water and mud to forage for crustaceans, marine invertebrates, and insects. At Moody Gardens, their favorite food include lake smelt, krill, and insects!

See if you can spot this animal in the Sunrise Gallery of the rainforest! This is a Brazilian fer de lance, and a lot of times he’s hard to find in his enclosure as he blends in really well. “Fer de lance” means spearhead in French. It is one of the most dangerous snakes in Central and South America, and causes more human deaths than any other American reptile. On average, they inject 105mg of venom in one bite. The fatal dose to humans is 50mg.