"The Spring Peeper [i.e., Pseudacris crucifer] is a small frog that is generally under 4 cm in body length. Individuals range in colour from tan, grey, rusty brown or dark brown. There is a conspicuous dark X-shaped marking on the back, a triangular or V-shaped marking on the head between the eyes, cross bands on the hind legs, and a dark stripe that extends from the snout, through the eye and part way down the side to the groin. The belly is white or cream-coloured and the inner thighs are light to dark yellow. The skin is granular in texture and individuals have small but obvious toe pads and lack webbing between the toes. Larvae (tadpoles) have long tails with a large fin and lack front legs (newly hatched tadpoles are legless). In Canada, the bodies and tail musculature of young tadpoles are tan/brown with darker mottling and the tail fin is clear. As the tadpoles age, they gain golden or brassy flecking on the body and large dark blotches along the edges of the tail fins. The larvae typically grow to 3–4 cm in total length before metamorphosis. The call is a single high-pitched “peep” which is repeated. There is also an ascending trill which is used in male-male interactions, and this trill is sometimes confused with a chorus frog call. / Spring Peepers occur throughout large expanses of Canada that are relatively undeveloped, and threats to this species are minimal throughout most of its range. Habitat destruction, particularly the loss of breeding ponds, can result in population declines or local extirpation. Pollution, such as herbicides and road salt, can be detrimental to frog populations by causing direct mortality as well as developmental deformities. Road mortality can be a significant threat when roads bisect the species’ habitat. Pathogens such as chytrid fungus and Ranavirus can cause mass mortality of frog populations. Climate change may also pose future threats to Canada’s frog populations."

- The Canadian Herpetological Society 

https://canadianherpetology.ca/species/species_page.html?cname=Spring%20Peeper

Pseudacris Crucifer Chorus

Music / assorted audio wing of Abandoned Spirit House Films with a penchant for hip-hop, jazz, “ambient” and all things experimentally electronic. Much love. ashexhibit@gmail.com

New tracks tagged #PseudacrisCrucifer