Randy Suits

As Puerto Rican as a Coqui

My always inquisitive Eva,

Remember our Puerto Rica vacations? When Puerto Ricans want to express their nationality, they say, “Soy de aqui como el Coqui.” (I’m as Puerto Rican as a Coqui.) Tourists and visitors to Puerto Rico are treated each evening and through the night by this tiny brown frog with the chorus line for the tropic climate of the island paradise. They have discs or pads on the toes of their feet to help them adhere to surfaces like moistened leaves. However they have no web membrane in their feet and are not adapted to swim. Coqui eggs undergo direct development and do not go through a tadpole phase as is typical for frogs. A tiny but fully functional froglet hatches directly from the egg. The Coqui is very popular throughout the island. It enlivens the evenings with its timid ‘ko-kee’ from which it derives its name. They begin singing when the sun sets at dusk and continue singing all night long until morning. Only the male sings.

They are found almost everywhere, from the margins of forests, wet and marshy places, rain forests, in highlands, lowlands, dry and arid places and caves. They feed on mosquitos and small insects which are plentiful in the hot climate and perpetual breeding season. To be so tiny, they play an important part in the eco-system by reducing the mosquito population. It has been a cultural symbol of Puerto Rican history for centuries. It has become a national symbol and an icon for anything Puerto Rican. The Coqui is an example of how God uses tiny creatures to improve the environment and maintain natural balance of life. The frog feeds on the mosquito and prevents infestation which could produce a plight similar to the plagues which God visited upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians when he delivered the Israelites from bondage. God created all creatures to maintain a balance in the perpetuation of life. May we be as heavenly minded as the Coqui is Puerto Rican.

We had a great vacation in Puerto Rico, Kochany