Red-eyed Tree Frog

The postcard amphibian of the tropics earns the job at the moment of waking: a sleeping red-eyed tree frog is a green leaf-shape, everything tucked away, until a disturbance snaps open two enormous crimson eyes and flashes the blue-and-yellow striped flanks and orange feet. The theory is startle defense, a half-second of predator confusion that buys a leap. By day they sleep pressed under leaves; by night they hunt insects through the understory around ponds. Females lay eggs in jelly clutches on leaves overhanging water, and the embryos hold a party trick biologists adore: sensing the vibrations of an attacking snake, they can hatch early and escape, dropping into the water days ahead of schedule.