Gray Treefrog

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During late Spring and early Summer the trills of male Gray Treefrogs can be heard from treetops and backwater areas of rivers.

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The Gray Treefrog lives in moist woodlands and swamps near water. It finds its insect food in the trees and shrubs. This amphibian is very acrobatic and will often jump from branch to branch to catch its prey.

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This is a well camouflaged frog that few people ever see. Encountering one outside of breeding season is largely a matter of chance. The Gray Treefrog has the ability to change colors and can be green, gray or brown. Large, rounded toe disks enable this creature to climb.

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This amphibian has bright yellow or orange on the underside of each hind leg that is believed to startle or confuse predators.

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The Gray Treefrog have the remarkable ability to withstand freezing temperatures. Adults can survive for several days, partially frozen, at up to 20 degrees below zero. They produce a sort of “natural antifreeze” in their blood to accomplish this feat.

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This is my favorite frog; not only because of the characteristics mentioned above and its “friendly looking” appearance, but also because I can hear it calling from my house and on occasion, find it in my neighborhood – like this one from 2011.

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Arroyo Toad

I took a road trip to Barstow, California. Some friends there agreed to help me look for a Federally Endangered amphibian that I’ve never seen in the wild  – the Arroyo Toad.

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The reasons for this toad’s decline are similar to the plight of many amphibians – their specialized habitat is being damaged by water management practices, pollution and invasive species.

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When darkness fell, we searched the creek with headlamps. California Toads, American Bullfrogs (an invasive species) and Baja California Treefrogs were found. Although it took awhile, we eventually found Arroyo Toads too.

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They are a medium-sized toad that is plump and stocky with dry, uniformly warty skin. The advertisement call of the Arroyo Toad is a fast musical trill, about 10 seconds, rising in pitch, and ending abruptly. We were able to hear a few calling in the night.

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Adults eat a wide variety of invertebrates, but mostly consume ants, especially nocturnal, trail-forming tree ants. So insuring that an animal has its food source is important in managing wild populations.

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Arroyo Toads have extremely specialized habitat needs, including exposed sandy streamsides with stable areas for burrowing and scattered vegetation for shelter.

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In addition, they need areas of quiet water or pools free of predatory fishes with sandy or gravel bottoms that do not contain silt. This is necessary for successful reproduction.

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California Toad

The California Toad is large and robust with dry, warty skin. It is slow moving, often getting about by walking or crawling instead of hopping.

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This species is generally nocturnal except in the Spring, when it is also active during the daytime. Here’s a small one that I found by a reservoir yesterday.

Toads eat spiders, insects, slugs and worms. Their prey is located by vision, afterwards the toad lunges with its large, sticky tongue to catch its food and bring it into its mouth.

The California Toad inhabits a variety of habitats, including marshes, springs, creeks, small lakes, meadows and woodlands. These amphibians spend much of their time underground. Although they are avid diggers, they generally use small mammal burrows or crevices under logs and rocks.

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These are one of the larger types of toads native to the United States. I did some herping with Sarah and Connie over the weekend. And Sarah found that they can be quite a handful.

Connie agreed with this assessment.

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Wood Frog

What’s the toughest frog in the land? My vote goes to the Wood Frog. It is the only frog found north of the Arctic Circle.

As the temperature drops below freezing each winter, the Wood Frog drifts into a deep hibernation; its breathing and heartbeat grind to a halt, and as much as 65% of the water in its body gradually crystallizes into ice. How’s that for tough?

Earlier this week we had a day with temperatures in the 50s and constant rain. During the night Wood Frogs migrated over to their breeding ponds. The male frogs call day and night in a duck-like, raucous quacking chorus.

The days following the migration have been cold, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. The frogs have not been calling and stay hidden, awaiting higher temperatures.

I found this cold, dark example today under a log near the pond. It appeared to be in a trance and hardly moved, but it will be ready for action once it gets a bit warmer.

After laying eggs, Wood Frogs leave the pools of water to spend the rest of the year in wooded areas, often quite some distance from standing water. They blend in well with fallen forest leaves.

The Wood Frog grows to about three inches long. Its color ranges from pinkish-orange to tan to dark brown. It is easily recognized by its dark “robber’s mask.” It’s ability to withstand cold make for a pretty awesome amphibian.

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American Bullfrog

November may be more than half over, but with sunny skies and mild temperatures, there’s still some herping to do in Northeast Ohio. For the past few days I’ve seen several examples of the largest frog native to the United States, the American Bullfrog. The easiest way to identify bullfrogs is by the male’s familiar “jug-o-rum” call. The deep, loud call can be heard from up to a quarter of a mile away.

Male bullfrogs have yellow throats and eardrums much larger than the diameter of the eyes. The females grow larger than the males, up to eight inches. Bullfrogs vary in color, from dark olive to pale green; they often have dark gray markings on their back legs.

These frogs regulate their body temperature by sitting in full sunlight on cool days like today. On warm days they cool off by diving into the water or resting in a shady location. American Bullfrogs are rarely seen far from the water’s edge and are usually in the water. They reside in large bodies of quiet water; such as ponds, lakes, or backwaters of streams.

Like a miniature alligator, the American Bullfrog employs stealth to catch its food, often staying submerged in the water with just its eyes protruding above the water’s surface, waiting to lunge out at any potential food item that comes within range. Due to its large size, the amphibian is capable of catching and consuming some very “unfroglike” meals – such as birds, bats, snakes, fish, rodents and other frogs. However, insects form the mainstay of their diet.

Before disappearing underwater for the winter, American Bullfrogs spend less time on riverbanks and shorelines. Eventually they burrow into the leaf litter and mud at the bottoms of waterways to spend the cold months.

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Pickerel Frog

Walking along this creek and flipping rocks around the edges revealed several Pickerel Frogs.

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These amphibians are usually tan with rectangular spots, which are oriented in two columns down its back. A prominent white line outlines the upper jaw.

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In case of attack, Pickerel Frogs have an interesting defense mechanism: they emit skin secretions which are irritating to people and toxic to some predators. This toxicity makes the Pickerel Frog the only poisonous frog native to the United States. Because of this, most snakes and mammals will leave Pickerel Frogs alone.

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Although these frogs are often found in aquatic environments, their toes are unwebbed. Pickerel Frogs are most often seen along the edges of streams or flooded ditches, but they can also be found in caves and sometimes along roadsides.

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Its call sounds like a quiet, long drawn-out snore.

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Northern Leopard Frog

Walking along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, I heard a noise in the underbrush. Further investigation triggered something to leap away in a series of zigzag jumps. It was the tell-tale getaway method of the Northern Leopard Frog.

Eventually I caught up with the creature. It’s easy to see how this spotted frog gets its name. I consider the Northern Leopard Frog to be the most beautiful of all of North America’s amphibians. It is also common and can be found (along with other species of Leopard Frogs) across much of the United States.

In late winter while searching for Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers, I’d occasionally hear the calls from this frog, which sound like a person snoring. The leopard frog can even call under water.

Northern Leopard Frogs utilize many aquatic habitats, such as marshes, ponds, lakes, rivers, or streams. During warmer months, these frogs may leave the water and venture into fields or pastures to forage. Their diet consists mainly of insects. 

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A Blue Green Frog

There has been much talk in recent years of amphibian declines and it is indeed a serious issue. Research efforts are being made to try to get a better understanding of this worrisome problem. Depsite this, there are some amphibians that seem to be doing quite well. One of these is the Green Frog, it is an amphibian found over much of the eastern United States (including my backyard).

Male and female adult Green Frogs can easily be determined by the size of their eardrums. For males the tympanum (that circle you see behind the frog’s eye) is significantly larger than the eye. For females, it is about the same size as the eye. Almost any permanent body of water can be habitat for Green Frogs. Ponds, marshes, lakes swamps and the slow parts of creeks and rivers can be homes to these amphibians.

Green Frogs tend to stay close to the water’s edge, ready to leap in (and often give a squeak) if they sense danger. Warm, rainy nights will often induce young Green Frogs to make overland migrations. During these times, they are sometimes forced to take up residence in puddles or ditches until the next rain comes along. Every year I have Green Frogs make their home in my outdoor turtle enclosures, even though they have wire-screened tops. Here’s one from a couple of years ago.

Like most wide-ranging reptiles and amphibins, Green Frogs are variable in their appearance. They make be green, brown or olive – or various combinations of these colors. In some cases, males can have quite a bit of yellow color on the chins. On occasion, Green Frogs with blue coloration turn up, like this one that I found today.

At this point it seems that Green Frogs are well adapted to succeed in a world that’s becoming increasingly modified by humans. It’s quite possible that in some places Green Frogs have increased in places where other frogs have declined. There are undoubtedly many factors that determine whether a species will succeed or decline. That’s why it is essential to study common species along with troubled ones, to better understand the ecological problems species face and how they solve them. There is still much to learn about this very common and flourishing frog.

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American Toad

The Cuyahoga River floodplains are breeding areas for several types of amphibians. Walkers and bike riders on the Canal Towpath can hear up to 10 different species calling throughout the spring and summer.

The long, musical trills of American Toads could be heard a few feet off the Towpath today. I decided to check it out. It’s an odd sensation to be in the middle of a chorus of dozens of calling amphibians. The short movie below will give you an idea of what it sounded like.

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It takes some careful and concentrated scanning of the area to actually see the toads, but if you stay long enough and remain still, they will emerge from their hiding spots and resume their calls. This one happened to be right below my feet.

American Toads are considered to be “explosive breeders,” with large numbers arriving at a pool within a very short time. The entire breeding process is over in a week or two.

Toads don’t cause warts. The bumps on their skin contain poison glands. It’s the defense mechanism for a relatively slow-moving amphibian. Toads are harmless to humans (unless you try to eat one). Another defense is to inflate themselves with air. By “puffing up,” the toad appears bigger.

American Toads are extremely helpful to people, especially in gardens where they will eat huge numbers of pests, including insects and slugs. They can live up to 30 years.

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Western Chorus Frog

Hiking through the Metroparks today, I heard the sound of frogs calling off in the distance. I had not been to the spot I was exploring in the springtime and was unaware that there were vernal pools deeper in the woods. The frog calls were not the “peeps” of Spring Peepers or the chicken-like sounds of Wood Frogs. They weren’t even the long, melodious trills of American Toads – they were from something different. As I approached the woodland pool, here’s what it looked like.

It was the sounds of a frog I have not seen for five years. This frog’s call resembles the sound made by rubbing one’s finger over the teeth of a hard plastic comb; a long cr-e-e-e-e-e-k. It was the Western Chorus Frog, which is about the same size as the Spring Peeper. It can be identified by its three distinctive dark stripes which normally run down the back, and a dark stripe on each side. Since it was still daylight, I needed to use quite a bit of stealth to locate one – they are quite wary. Here’s a short video with the sounds I heard.

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Western chorus frogs are widely distributed throughout Ohio. They become rare in northeastern Ohio east of Cleveland. It took some time, but I was finally able to spot this male calling.

These frogs feed on a variety of small invertebrates including beetles, ants, flies, leaf hoppers, and spiders.  Their only defense is their small size which they use to attempt to conceal themselves from the many birds, mammals, garter snakes, and other larger frogs which all enjoy preying upon them. Here’s what a female carrying eggs looks like.

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