Smilisca sila
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 →
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
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pugnosed Tree Frog sighting in Soberanía National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 34 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pugnosed Tree Frog in Soberanía National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and September, the lowest months. That is one of Soberanía National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 350 mm in November.
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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Pugnosed Tree Frog sightings, Soberanía National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come La Amistad International Park (Panama) (Panama, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pugnosed Tree Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Soberanía National Park (22 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.
