Monkey frogs!
Posted on 2009.04.25 at 17:17Before Thursday I had not known of Phyllomedusa sauvagii, the Waxy Monkey Frog aka Chacoan Monkey frog.
They are a tree-dwelling dry-heat-loving opposable-thumbed creature native to the Gran Chaco region of southern South America. They are green, but (as seen here) can camouflage themselves.
They have reptile-like skin permeability (low water loss and gas exchange through the skin relative to other frogs) because they secrete and wipe themselves with a lipid (wax) that prevents water loss. Other adaptations include the abilities to drink falling rainwater and to excrete uric acid instead of urea (like reptiles and birds, and unlike mammals and [most] amphibians).
