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Description: Northern cricket frogs are small, warty
frogs ranging in size from 1.6 to 3.5 cm SVL with variable
coloring and patterns. They have fairly long hind limbs but
do not have to pads. Although they may be various shades of
gray, brown, or green, many have a brown to orange stripe down
the center of their back and a triangular marking on the top of
their head. Northern (A. crepitans) and Southern (A.
gryllus) Cricket Frogs are very similar in appearance and
are best distinguished by call or range (Northern Cricket
Frogs are generally found in the Piedmont and Mountains, Southern
Cricket Frogs in the Coastal Plain). Both species have a dark
stripe on the thighs. In A. crepitans this stripe generally
has jagged edges, while in A. gryllus it has strait edges
and is bordered by a light stripe.
Range and Habitat: Northern cricket frogs are most common
in the Piedmont and Mountainous regions of the Southeast and are
generally replaced by the Southern Cricket Frog (A. gryllus)
in the Coastal Plain. Although found in almost any moist habitat,
cricket frogs are most common along edges of permanent ponds,
lakes, and slow-moving streams. They prefer open, shallow water
with plenty of vegetation. They do not climb well and are not
found high in trees.
Habits: The call of the Northern Cricket Frog resembles
the sound of marbles clicking together and is more rapid than
the similar Southern Cricket Frog (A. gryllus). Both species
breed in the spring and summer and feed on small insects. Males
aggressively defend territory, especially during the breeding
season. Calling males will often attack other males calling in
their vicinity, particularly late in the season when opportunities
to mate are more scarce.
Conservation status: Both Cricket Frogs are common in
our region but A. crepitans is declining in areas of the
Midwest.
Account Author: Aaliyah Greene, University of Georgia
- revised by J.D. Willson
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