Pseudacris crucifer
Copyright, C.R. Smith, Siar Anthranir Photography
Spring Peepers are small
frogs that grow less than an inch and a half long. They can
be tan or gray or dark brown, but they all have a dark "X"
on their backs. Spring Peepers also have large toe pads for
gripping plants when they climb. Spring Peepers are rarely
seen, but are often heard in early Spring. They
breed
from March to June, and in early March you can hear male
Spring Peepers calling for mates. Many people think they are
crickets, but you only hear crickets in late Summer and
early Fall. Nature Watch Spring Peepers live in
wooded areas where there is water. Usually they are near
marshes,
ponds, streams, or temporary pools (water that sits in large
pools in the Spring, but dries up in the Summer). Spring Peepers need the
water to lay eggs. This is also where they mate. Spring Peepers are
nocturnal,
so they are most active at night.
Copyright, Joyce Gross, California Academy of Sciences
Ohio History
Central Cleveland Museum
of Natural History Male peepers
call the females at night in the Spring. Each call
is a high-pitched whistle, but many peepers
together sounds like jingling bells. Females come to
the calling males, and after mating, they lay eggs
on underwater sticks and plants. Eggs hatch into
tadpoles
in about twelve days. Tadpoles will eat
algae
and tiny organisms
in the water.
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Tadpoles will change to adult Spring Peepers in a few weeks. Adults spend the rest of the year in the woods, coming out at night to look for food. Spring Peepers eat mostly small insects, such as beetles, ants, and flies, as well as spiders. They look for food on the forest floor or by climbing low shrubs. In the Winter, Spring Peepers hibernate under logs or loose bark on trees. These small frogs can survive having most of their body frozen. |
Copyright, John White |
Copyright, John White, California Academy of Sciences