Frogs

The Grey Cardinal.....
This is one of the frog species we found a couple of days ago..

I nearly stepped onto it as it was sitting completely motionless on the path matching the it in colour.
I was waiting until it moved. It didn't. It seemed not to notice our presence to jump away as fast as possible.
I was tired to wait long and first started to throw little pieces of branches to it - it can be seen in the video.

 It didn't move.

Then I started to push it gently with a little stick. I touched the paw, it withdrew it, I touched another one, it withdrew it too, and thus all the four ones. I touched it on the back, it moved closer to the ground, I did another one - much closer as if it wanted to become flat and absolutely merge with the ground.

I didn't know what to do, was afraid smth had happened to it and it was dying.

I stamped my food. The vibration seemed to waken it up and it jumped. I did again - another jump.

And so we did it with the frog in unison until it jumped up from the path into the high grass.

I signed relieved as I didn't want anybody to set foot on it and kill it.

My questions:

What is the name of this frog species?

What sort of behavioural strategy is it? Had it been hunting (sit-and-wait predator) before we approached? And as soon as it noticed us did it use the behavioural strategy of sitting motionless and merging with the ground?

The Green Queen

This is another frog - again I don't know its name. And thus looks the area where it lives - her habitat.

When we came up to the river it jumped actively but as soon as my husband focused his camera on it it became motionless.

He was taking pictures of it for about 10 minutes (or more) and it was sitting still.

He called me to come up and have a look at it and again this "frozen" sitting made me ask him if he thought it was alright..."yes, it is, it was jumping merrily some minutes ago before I started the camera...".:)

I suggested it was attracted by the blinking of the camera lenses and was"enchanted" by it...though I immediately swept this idea off...seemed hardly possible it could be so...

Besides, our dog was actively busy swimming and running in the water, very close to the Frog creating storms in the water.

Not a hint of a movement. Frozen. Whatever we did - bending towards it, speaking loud, throwing sticks in the water...

We were leaving. This adamant Green Lady remained still, motionless, with her staunchest belief we couldn't see her:)

My questions:

What is the name of this frog species?

What sort of behavioural strategy is it? Again - sitting motionless and merging with the surrounding water and greens?