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| The Eastern Gray Treefrog is 3 to 6 cm long, snout to vent. They can change from a bright green to gray (almost brown) in seconds. They have a pattern on their back and these markings are bordered by black. The belly is white and usually unmarked. The throat may be dark in males. The insides of the thighs and legs are washed with bright orange or yellow. They have relatively rough skin and large toe pads. Eastern Gray Treefrogs are reported to prefer wooded habitats, in forest edges and at night around lighted buildings in towns. They are nocturnal, being active only during the evening and night. They live high in trees or shrubs. This Treefrog is well known for its climbing ability with the use of its sticky toe disks. Each 'disk' secretes a mucous that creates tension between the disk and the surface, enabling it to cling to smooth surfaces. They breed from May to July. They use permanent or semi permanent wetlands to breed. The males call from vegetation in the water, with a slow trill, and sounds musical and bird like. Females lay their eggs on the surface of shallow water so that they are loosely attached to some type of vegetation, preventing them from floating away. They lay a total of 1800-2000 eggs, usually in bundles of 10-40 eggs. The eggs then hatch in approximately four or five days. Tadpoles are always bright green, with a red tipped tail and transform in 2 to 2 1/2 months. Eastern Gray Treefrogs hibernate under shelters of bark, leaves, rocks or logs. These frogs prevent ice crystal from forming in their organs by changing glycerol into glucose and circulating through the organs. The remaining water in the body is allowed to freeze. The frog is basically frozen until spring. Gray Treefrogs catch insects and other invertebrates for food. They are quite acrobatic catching flying insects in mid air. They are also known to forage on the ground and in vegetation for small insects, spiders, mites, snails and plant lice. |
(Family Hylidae)
Hylaversicolor
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