Northern Cricket Frog
Acris crepitans crepitans
Disribution: In Florida, the Northern Cricket Frog is only found in the western Panhandle.
Habitat: It can be found in permanent freshwater environments such as lakes and streams.
Size: Adults are about 1 to 1 1/4 inches in length.
Color: This frog varies in color from dark brown to tan or green.
Description: Cricket Frogs are easily identifiable by a triangular mark just behind the head and between the eyes. A distinct stripe is often, but not always, present along its spine. There are three types of Cricket Frogs in Florida: Northern Cricket Frog, Southern Cricket Frog, and Florida Cricket Frog. The Northern Cricket Frog has a single jagged dark stripe between two white stripes on the back of its thigh and does have tiny anal warts (whereas the Southern Cricket Frog has a single smooth cut dark stripe between two white stripes on the back of its thigh and does have tiny anal warts and the Florida Cricket Frog has two dark stripes on the rear hidden surface of its thigh and does not have anal warts.
Cricket frogs have webbed toes, unlike chorus frogs, do not have enlarged toe pads, like tree frogs, and do not have enlarged glands behind the head, like small toads.
Dark stripes on rear of thigh |
Anal Warts |
|
| Northern | 1 jagged |
yes |
| Southern | 1 smooth |
yes |
| Florida | 2 |
no |
Reproduction: Many small clusters of eggs are attached to submerged plants.
Call: The call of the Florida Cricket Frog is a "click-click-click", similar to the sound of two glass marbles being knocked against each other. The call begins with slow clicks and becomes very rapid.
Click HERE to listen to the call of the Northern Cricket Frog
(A new browser window will open with the sound file)
Development of these pages was a cooperative effort. Photos were supplied by Barry Mansell Photos and calls were provided by Paul Moler, state herpetologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Location: http://yourdomain.edu