Polypedates occidentalis
Silhouette: Vijay Karthick · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The western tree frog, Charpa tree frog, or Nagercoil whipping frog (Polypedates occidentalis) is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae endemic to India. It has been observed between 100 and 1100 meters above sea level in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and Charpa Forest Range, both of which are in Kerala.
This tree frog is characterized in having an obtusely pointed snout, a large tympanum, a prominent fold from the back of the eye to the shoulder, and an hourglass pattern on the dorsum terminating in the shape of a trident; in breeding season, the male possesses nuptial pads on first and second fingers.
This frog is closely related to Polypedates cruciger from Sri Lanka and P. pseudocruciger from Western Ghats. However, it is diagnosed by the following characters, apart from the ones listed above. Adult male size is up to 55.1 mm, the vomerine teeth are set obliquely between the choanae, the fingers have rudimentary webbing, no dermal fold is found along the forearm, the webbing on toe III reaches the disks at tips of the digits, conical lingual papillae are absent, the skin of forehead is free, the snout lacks a dermal flap, and the heel lacks a cutaneous... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Tree Frog sighting in Kochi on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 8 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and May–June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Western Tree Frog in Kochi on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, July–August, October and December, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Tree Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Western Tree Frog sightings, Kochi ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Kozhikode (India, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Tree Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Kochi (14 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
