Cuban tree frogs are native to Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands. However, they were introduced to the coast of Florida in the 1920s, as well as parts of Puerto Rico, and several other places around the Americas, and are now considered an invasive species in those places.
Like most frogs, Cuban treefrogs are obligate carnivores as adults, which means they eat animal protein instead of plants or vegetation.
Cuban tree frogs start their lives as tiny tadpoles that live entirely in the water. At this point, their diet consists entirely of food sources available in the water.
As they grow, the tadpoles will go through a process known as metamorphosis and develop into the adult-form Cuban tree frogs that most people are more familiar with.
Once transformed, they will live entirely on land, and their diet will consist of mostly small terrestrial invertebrates.
What Cuban Tree Frog Tadpoles Eat in the Wild
Cuban tree frogs start their lives as tiny embryos inside eggs. Their first food source for the developing embryos is the yolk of their eggs.
The yolk provides enough nutrition to sustain the developing tadpoles until they are ready to hatch into the water. This can take anywhere from 1 – 2 days.
After hatching, the tadpoles will spend the first few days feeding on the remaining yolk of the eggs. This will provide them with enough energy to grow and develop further.
After about a few days, the tadpoles would have developed enough to start free swimming and feeding on food sources available in the water.
At this early stage, Cuban tree frog tadpoles are mostly herbivorous, and will eat:
- Algae
- Phytoplankton
- Detritus (mostly composed of degraded plant materials)
Due to a mostly herbivorous diet, the tadpoles have very long tightly coiled intestines, that make up more than half of their body mass.
Plants contain cellulose, a compound that is very hard to digest. Because of this, plant matter needs to spend more time in the digestive system. This long intestinal tract gives tadpoles more time to break down the plant matter and absorb as many nutrients as possible.
A few weeks into their development, the tadpoles start to grow legs, starting with the back legs. Their digestive tract will also gradually shorten.
Cuban tree frog tadpoles at this stage become omnivores and will eat animal protein in addition to plant matter.
They will also eat:
- Aquatic insect larvae (glass worms, mosquito larvae, etc.)
- Water striders
- Zooplankton
- Small insects that fall into the water
- Worms
- Carcasses in the water
Cuban tree frog tadpoles will even prey upon the tadpoles of other frog species in some situations. Researchers found that survivorship of tree frog tadpoles declined significantly in the presence of Cuban tree frog tadpoles.
Whatever they eat, they will eat constantly. They have high energy demands because they are growing very rapidly.
What Juvenile Cuban Tree Frogs Eat in the Wild
After about 1- 2 months, the tadpoles will go through a process known as metamorphosis, in which they will transform into juvenile frogs.
During metamorphosis, the thyroid gland secretes a growth hormone called thyroxine.
This hormone triggers the tadpoles to:
- Lose the gills, and develop lungs for breathing air
- Absorb the tail into the body
- Grow strong legs for moving on land
- Remodel other organs to form an adult frog
In addition, the digestive tract shortens dramatically, and the inner lining of the remaining intestine thickens, creating many folds in the process. These folds create a very large surface for the absorption of nutrients during digestion.
Once metamorphosis is complete, tiny Cuban tree frogs will leave the water and live on land.
At this point, Cuban tree frogs become obligate carnivores, which means they stop eating plant matter and will only eat animal-based foods.
Their diet will shift away from aquatic prey and toward mainly terrestrial prey. However, since they are not fully grown yet, they can only eat small live prey.
Wild Juvenile Cuban tree frogs will eat:
- Ants, mites
- Small worms, small snails, slugs
- Spiders, termites, springtails
- Beetles, fruit flies, and other small insects
As they grow in size, they will be able to eat larger prey.
What Adult Cuban Tree Frogs Eat in the Wild
Adult green tree frogs are fully grown, meaning they have bigger mouths and stronger jaws. They can eat all the food they eat as juveniles, but their larger size allows them to also eat things they did not eat as juveniles.
Here’s a list of things that make up an adult Cuban tree frog’s diet in the wild:
- Termites, ants, flies, mosquitoes
- Pillbugs, ticks, mites springtails
- Spiders, centipedes, millipedes
- Slugs, snails,
- Small worms
- Caterpillars, & other insect larvae (such as maggots, moth larvae, grubs, etc.)
- Beetles, stinkbugs, moths, butterflies, bees
- Flies, grasshoppers, tree crickets, and a wide variety of other insects
- Lizards, snakes
Cuban tree frogs are very opportunistic predators and will eat almost any prey small enough for them to swallow whole.
Sometimes, Cuban Tree Frogs Will Other Other Frogs
Cuban tree frogs are invasive to Florida and have been in the state for over a century.
They like to inhabit moist swampy environments and have been extensively
documented eating several of Florida’s native tree frogs, and are thought to be responsible for the decline of some native tree frog species, especially in urbanized areas.
For example, squirrel tree frogs are highly vulnerable to predation by larger Cuban tree frogs. Occasionally, Cuban tree frogs will even eat the tadpoles of squirrel tree frogs.
Conclusion
Cuban tree frogs are not picky eaters. They are very opportunistic predators and will eat almost any prey they can catch and swallow whole.
Their diet is mainly composed of worms, snails, insects, and other small invertebrates, but these frogs will also eat small snakes, lizards, small frogs, and other amphibians.
Sources:
Glorioso, B. M., J. H. Waddle, M. E. Crockett, K. G. Rice, and H. F. Percival. 2012. “Diet of the Invasive Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Pine Rockland and Mangrove Habitats in South Florida.” Caribbean Journal of Science 46:346–355. https://doi.org/10.18475/cjos.v46i2.a25
IFAS Extension Univerisity of Florida. The Cuban Treefrog in Florida.