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American green tree frog

Hyla cinerea

Description:

The frog is green medium-sized, up to 6 cm (2.5 in) long. Their bodies are usually green in shades ranging from bright yellowish olive to lime green. The darkness of the color can change depending on lighting or temperature. There may be small patches of gold or white on the skin, and they may also have a white, pale yellow, or cream-colored line running from the jaw or upper lip to the groin. They have smooth skin and large toe pads. The abdomen is pale yellow to white. Males have wrinkled throats (indicating the vocal pouch) and are slightly smaller than females.

Habitat:

The frogs are found in the central and southeastern United States, with a geographic range from the Eastern Shore of Virginia to southeast Florida, with populations as far west as central Texas. and as far north as Maryland and Delaware. The frogs are considered monotypic, but clinal variation has been observed from Florida north along the Atlantic coastal plain. This possibly may be attributed "to the result of strong selection and/or drift." Green tree frogs "prefer habitats with plentiful floating vegetation, grasses, and cattails" and are often found in "small ponds, large lakes, marshes, and streams."

Notes:

Found several hundred of these small tree frogs in an area of Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

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1 Comment

BudShinall
BudShinall 11 years ago

Yes they are. There must of been a hundred of them near a small stream. Happy you liked them.

BudShinall
Spotted by
BudShinall

Townsend, Tennessee, USA

Spotted on Jul 21, 2012
Submitted on Jul 22, 2012

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