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A brown-and-white banded Amazon milk frog sitting on a branch.
Photo: Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Amazon Milk Frog

Trachycephalus resinifictrix

A bumpy gray-and-brown rainforest tree frog that oozes a milky, poisonous liquid when threatened.

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About the Amazon Milk Frog

Amazon milk frogs live in the rainforest canopy of Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil. They are patterned in light and dark brownish-gray with bumpy skin and large toe pads for climbing. Females grow up to 3.5 inches and males up to 3. They are nocturnal and have big vocal sacs for a loud call.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Trachycephalus resinifictrix[1]
Size
Females up to 3.5 inches; males up to 3 inches.[1]
Diet
Carnivore. Insects and other small invertebrates.[1]
Habitat
Tropical rainforest canopy.[1]
Where it lives
Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil.[1]
Group life
Nocturnal.[1]
Babies
More than 2,000 eggs in a water-filled tree hole.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021).[2]

Fun facts

  • Milk frogs ooze a milky poison when threatened.[1]
  • Males call from inside tree holes so the sound carries.[1]
  • They're also called mission golden-eyed tree frogs.[1]

Vocabulary

secretion
A liquid an animal makes and releases.
vocal sac
A stretchy pouch of skin a frog fills with air to call.
canopy
The top layer of a forest, made of treetops.
nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
tadpole
A young frog or toad that lives in water and breathes with gills.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Amazon milk frog.” https://www.sfzoo.org/amazon-milk-frog/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Trachycephalus resinifictrix (Amazon Milk Frog).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/79680060/61405034 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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