Page 114 - A Field Guide to Fairfax County's Plants and Wildlife
P. 114
thern Spring Peeper
(Pseudacris crucifer)
Description
This is a tiny frog only 2 to 3
centimeters in length…not much bigger
than a paper clip! Females are larger
than males. Adults are tan, gray or light
brown (even pink!) with a dark band
between the eyes and a dark “X” on the
back (crucifer means “cross-bearing”
in Latin). They have sticky pads on each toe to help them grip rocks or
vegetation. Northern Spring Peepers are mainly active at night. Males begin
calling for mates in early March. After mating, females lay eggs on underwater
sticks and plants. Eggs hatch into tadpoles in about 12 days. Tadpoles change
to adults in a few weeks. In winter they hibernate under logs or loose bark on
trees and can survive being frozen!
Despite their small size, Spring Distribution and Habitat
Peepers are one of the loudest
animals. Their high-pitched calls Occur in all five physiographic
can reach levels of 90 decibels or provinces. In early spring, Spring
higher. That’s as loud as a train Peepers emerge from hibernation
whistle! Some people confuse Spring and migrate to vernal pools. Outside
Peeper calls with crickets, which sing of the breeding season they prefer
mainly during summer and fall. Just woodlands or brushy undergrowth
remember: “Peepers peep in spring; near marshes.
crickets call in fall.”
Role in Food Web
Tadpoles eat algae and
zooplankton, small insects and
other invertebrates. Adults eat
mostly small insects such as beetles,
ants and flies, as well as spiders.
Eggs and tadpoles are eaten by
fish, aquatic insects, turtles and
other creatures. Adults have many
predators including owls and other
birds, snakes, American Bullfrogs,
salamanders, some mammals and
even large spiders.
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(Pseudacris crucifer)
Description
This is a tiny frog only 2 to 3
centimeters in length…not much bigger
than a paper clip! Females are larger
than males. Adults are tan, gray or light
brown (even pink!) with a dark band
between the eyes and a dark “X” on the
back (crucifer means “cross-bearing”
in Latin). They have sticky pads on each toe to help them grip rocks or
vegetation. Northern Spring Peepers are mainly active at night. Males begin
calling for mates in early March. After mating, females lay eggs on underwater
sticks and plants. Eggs hatch into tadpoles in about 12 days. Tadpoles change
to adults in a few weeks. In winter they hibernate under logs or loose bark on
trees and can survive being frozen!
Despite their small size, Spring Distribution and Habitat
Peepers are one of the loudest
animals. Their high-pitched calls Occur in all five physiographic
can reach levels of 90 decibels or provinces. In early spring, Spring
higher. That’s as loud as a train Peepers emerge from hibernation
whistle! Some people confuse Spring and migrate to vernal pools. Outside
Peeper calls with crickets, which sing of the breeding season they prefer
mainly during summer and fall. Just woodlands or brushy undergrowth
remember: “Peepers peep in spring; near marshes.
crickets call in fall.”
Role in Food Web
Tadpoles eat algae and
zooplankton, small insects and
other invertebrates. Adults eat
mostly small insects such as beetles,
ants and flies, as well as spiders.
Eggs and tadpoles are eaten by
fish, aquatic insects, turtles and
other creatures. Adults have many
predators including owls and other
birds, snakes, American Bullfrogs,
salamanders, some mammals and
even large spiders.
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