False tomato frog
Amazing fact
When targeted by a predator, the Sambava tomato frog may release a sticky, milky substance from its skin.
Toronto Zoo
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
When targeted by a predator, the Sambava tomato frog may release a sticky, milky substance from its skin.
THE REAL WORLD
The real False tomato frog
- Scientific name
- Dyscophus guineti
- Japanese name
- サビトマトガエル
- Group
- Amphibians and reptiles
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Microhylidae
- Genus
- Dyscophus
Where the name “False tomato frog” comes from
The English name tomato frog comes from its red to orange colour, which resembles a ripe tomato.
Toronto ZooCompared with the tomato frog, it more often has rusty brown, worm-eaten-looking markings on its back.
How the False tomato frog lives
It is mostly active at night, emerging from soil or leaf litter to feed. It waits to ambush prey, eating insects, worms and snails. During the day, it burrows into soft, moist soil. During the rainy season, it lays eggs in shallow temporary pools or flooded areas.
Toronto ZooBasic data
- Range
- Eastern Madagascar
Where the False tomato frog has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- サビトマトガエル
- 简体中文
- 假番茄蛙
- 繁體中文
- 蕃茄蛙
- Español
- Falsa rana tomate
- Deutsch
- Südlicher Tomatenfrosch
- Português (Brasil)
- Rã-tomate
- Русский
- Винный узкорот
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — サビトマトガエルChecked: 2026-11-04
- Toronto Zoo — Tomato frogChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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