Whitebelly Reed Frogs

The next time you’re visiting Lincoln Park Zoo, check out the beautiful new residents at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House: seven female whitebelly reed frogs!

While you haven’t seen whitebelly reed frogs at the zoo before, they’ve actually been living here for some time. A group of six frogs arrived back in June 2023 from Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York—and since then, zoo staff have successfully reared more than 40 offspring. Many of those have already gone to other zoos, but we still have a group of males behind the scenes and a group of females that can now be seen.

Photos courtesy of Keeper Bryan Summerford

Also called starry night reed frogs, these frogs are native to Madagascar. They are sexually dimorphic, with females being larger. The females also have bright yellow spots along their backs and limbs. Males are more of a muted brown, olive, or gray color with faint spotting, although they may not have spots at all. The frogs also have a light-colored belly underneath.

Photos courtesy of Keeper Bryan Summerford

Whitebelly reed frogs prefer living in open savannahs, forests, swamps, grasslands, and agricultural areas. They reproduce well in temporary and permanent freshwater bodies, including rice fields. As open spaces are increasing in Madagascar due to human development, they are listed as a species of Least Concern on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

You’ll find the frogs at the back of the Small Mammal-Reptile House, in a habitat between the yellow-and-blue poison dart frogs and Amazon milk frogs. If you’re coming for ZooLights Presented by ComEd and Invesco QQQ this month, don’t forget to stop in and catch a glimpse of these gorgeous ladies!