Imagine trying to survive in the warm, wet rainforests of Central America. For many animals, a habitat like this would be impossible. Yet the red-eyed tree frog, a amphibian about 7 centimeters long, thrives there, thanks to features that scientists call adaptations: traits that help a living thing survive in its environment.
Consider sticky pads on its toes: this adaptation let it cling to leaves and branches. Equally important is bright red eyes that it flashes open, which startle hungry predators so it can escape. Without these traits, the red-eyed tree frog would struggle to last a single season.
As a carnivore, the red-eyed tree frog is an animal that eats other animals; it depends on crickets, moths and flies. Its behavior matters as much as its body: it sleeps on the underside of leaves during the day and hunts at night. Behaviors like this are adaptations too, even though you cannot see them in a photograph.
The next generation faces the same challenges. Young red-eyed tree frogs, called tadpoles, depend on their surroundings and on adult care. Its eggs are laid on leaves above ponds, and the tadpoles drop into the water when they hatch.
Perhaps most remarkable of all: when it sleeps with its eyes closed and legs tucked in, its green body blends in with the leaf. Facts like this remind us that every animal's body tells a story about the place it lives.