Pugnosed Tree Frog

Pugnosed Tree Frog

Smilisca sila

Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at La Amistad International Park (Panama)

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%

24 Verified sightings at La Amistad International Park (Panama) From 2019 to 2026
46 In all 2 parks
January Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Pugnosed Tree Frog

The Panama cross-banded tree frog or pug-nosed tree frog (Smilisca sila) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in the humid Pacific lowlands of southwestern Costa Rica to eastern Panama and in the Caribbean lowlands of Panama and northern Colombia. Males of the species utilize synchronous calling to hide their position from predators. Females create basins during amplexus and deposit fertilized eggs onto the surface of the water.

Males grow to 45 mm (1.8 in) and females to 62 mm (2.4 in) in snout–vent length. They are gray, tan or reddish brown in dorsal colouration, with tuberculate skin. White or green flecks as well as darker blotches and markings may be present. Ventral surface is creamy white. The males possess a grey, paired vocal sac used to participate in their characteristic choruses, while the females have a singular white vocal sac flecked with brown. The underside of the thighs and groin are brown with blue spots, while the underside of the arm has yellow spots. The irises of the frog's eyes are brown with a black netted pattern. Toes are webbed on front and back legs with large pads at the tip. Adult S. sila individuals are morphologically very... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:11

Panama · 2025

© Mabelin · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:16

Panama · 2025

© Brian Gratwicke · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Recording0:19

Panama · 2026

© Art Riz · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
2 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pugnosed Tree Frog in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pugnosed Tree Frog sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 32 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.

When is the best time to see a Pugnosed Tree Frog in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?

January

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pugnosed Tree Frog in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, against under 5% in April–July and December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Pugnosed Tree Frog?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pugnosed Tree Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is La Amistad International Park (Panama) the best place to see a Pugnosed Tree Frog?

Among the best

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Pugnosed Tree Frog sightings, La Amistad International Park (Panama) ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 10%).

Where does the Pugnosed Tree Frog sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pugnosed Tree Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (24 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

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