Spring Peeper
Pseudacris crucifer
Conservation Status:
State Status: Secure (NatureServe, 2024)
Global Assessment: Least Concern (IUCN, 2020)
Photographed by Christine Young in Woodbury
Listen to call:
(Travel For Wildlife, 2015)
Description
Spring peepers grow up to two inches long (Quinn, 2020). They range in color from tan to dark brown and are able to change between these shades based on their environment. The stomach is white and there is a dark pattern on the back that resembles an 'X'. Males have darker throats than females.
Habitat
This frog can be found in woodlands around bodies of water, such as vernal pools or marshes.
Behavior
These species are arboreal, spending lots of time in trees or vegetation. They eat very small insects and are predated by larger frogs, snakes, and small mammals.
Breeding season occurs in the early spring in vernal pools. Males will call out from the water to attract females, and eggs are either laid in clumps or individually.
Range
These two species of arboreal frogs are often confused. Gray treefrogs are lighter in color, ranging from gray to green and have a darker mottling pattern across their skin. Peepers are brown and have a distinct 'X' marking on their backs, and are typically smaller in size than treefrogs. They also have a pointier snout and thinner build than treefrogs. The differences in color and pattern can clearly be seen in the images above.
References
iNaturalist. (2024). Observations. California Academy of the Sciences / National Geographic Society. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=49&taxon_id=24268.
International Union for Conservation Of Nature and Natural Resources. (2020, December 21). Spring Peeper. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/55892/193392474.
NatureServe. (2024, November 1). Pseudacris crucifer. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105099/Pseudacris_crucifer.
Quinn, D. P. (2020). Spring Peeper. Connecticut Herpetology. https://www.ctherpetology.com/northern-spring-peeper.
Travel For Wildlife. (2015, April 18). The Sound of the Spring Peepers in Our Yard. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnGE4e_ZC7g.
Watkins-Colwell, G. J. (2024). Spring Peeper - Pseudacris crucifer. Yale Peabody Museum. https://peabody.yale.edu/explore/collections/herpetology/guide-amphibians-reptiles-connecticut.
Watkins-Colwell, G. J. et al. (2006). New Distribution Records for Amphibians and Reptiles in Connecticut, with Notes on the Status of an Introduced Species. Sacred Heart University. https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1058&context=bio_fac.
Page updated November 20, 2024