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The
coquí is a batrarian frog having two separate
toes with suckers. The zoological name of this species
are Eleutherodactylus, exceeds of the creature
itself in length. More than 16
different species live in the island, 13 of which occur
in the Caribbean National Forest. It is not web-footed
and has no swimming membrane between its fingers and
toes.
The coquí
, as it is called in Puerto Rico, has only a minute tail
when it is born, and this quickly disappears. It
measures can varies between 15mm and 80mm and the color
of the coquí varies considerably, sometimes having
touches of different colors or two dorsolateral stripes.
One of
the characteristics of the Puerto Ricans coquies is that
it does not go through the intermediate phase of being a
tadpole as other frogs do. |
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is very popular creature throughout the island and
creates romantic evenings with its timid ko-kee
fsound that it makes (from which it get its name). You
can find the coquí at the margin of forest where the
area receives a large amount of moisture, in highlands
or lowlands, dry places - arid, or in caves depending on
the species.
There is
a well know story on the Island about a female tourist
who fell in love with a Coqui and took back to the
United States. The Coqui was so unhappy that it
would no longer make the Coqui sound. The female
tourist felt so bad, that she brought it back to Puerto
Rico and once again, it began to Coqui.
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