Eastern Masked Tree Frog

Eastern Masked Tree Frog

Smilisca manisorum

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

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Tortuguero National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

20 Verified sightings at Tortuguero National Park From 2019 to 2026
207 In all 4 parks
December Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Eastern Masked Tree Frog

Smilisca manisorum, or the masked tree frog, is a frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua. It lives in coastal forests. Scientists have seen it as high as 540 meters above sea level.

The species was originally synonymized with the common Mexican tree frog (Smilisca baudinii), but was resurrected as a species in 2017. New Granada cross-banded tree frog Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
2 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
3 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Eastern Masked Tree Frog in Tortuguero National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Masked Tree Frog sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 14 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Eastern Masked Tree Frog in Tortuguero National Park?

December

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Masked Tree Frog in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Eastern Masked Tree Frog?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Masked Tree Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is Tortuguero National Park the best place to see an Eastern Masked Tree Frog?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Eastern Masked Tree Frog sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%).

Where does the Eastern Masked Tree Frog sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eastern Masked Tree Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Tortuguero 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.

← Back to Tortuguero National Park