Triprion spinosus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Triprion spinosus, also known as the spiny-headed tree frog, spiny-headed treefrog, spinyhead treefrog, coronated treefrog, and crowned hyla, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It has a spotty distribution in Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and southern Mexico. Previously in its own monotypic genus Anotheca Smith, 1939, it was transferred to the genus Triprion in 2018.
This species is a relative large frog with a snout–to–vent length of 5.8 to 8 cm (2.3–3.1 in). It has numerous sharp, pointed projections on the head and dorsal surface, hence the common name. The skin on the head is fused to the skull and the tympanum is very large. The legs are long and slender and the digits have adhesive discs at the tips. The dorsal surface is pale brown or gray, with dark markings, and the flanks are dark brown or black, the colors being separated by a narrow white band.
This species is active at night when the male's call "boop...boop...boop" is more likely to be heard than the frog is to be seen. The male calls from beside a temporary water body, a water-filled hollow in a tree or the water caught in the rosette of a bromeliad, and this is where the female... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Nashville Zoo at Grassmere | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | El Nispero Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Glen Echo Park Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Monteverde Theme Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Coronated Tree Frog sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 17 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May, August–September and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Coronated Tree Frog in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July, October and December–March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Coronated 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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Coronated Tree Frog sightings, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Hylidae
The closest relatives of the Coronated Tree Frog that you can see in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (family Hylidae, Hylid Tree Frogs) are Masked Tree Frog (about 10%), Red-webbed Tree Frog (about 10%) and Sipurio Snouted Treefrog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Coronated Tree Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (20 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.
