Gray Treefrog

Description:

The gray treefrog is about two inches long. It is green, gray or brown in color. It can be a solid color or it can have blotches on its back. The gray treefrog can change its color in seconds. It tends to become darker when it is cold or dark. Its coloring helps it blend in with tree bark! It has a white underside and lots of warts. It has large, sticky toe pads that help it cling to tree bark and other surfaces. It has bright yellow to orange skin under its thighs. Breeding season runs from April to August. Males will gather in trees and bushes next to breeding ponds and swamps and begin calling. The male will aggressively defend its territory from intruders. The female selects a mate based on its call. She lays her eggs on the surface of shallow water in ponds or swamps. She may also lay her eggs in standing water in tire ruts, vernal pools or even swimming pools. The eggs are attached to vegetation to keep them from floating away. The female lays as many as 2000 eggs in groups of 10-40. The tadpoles hatch in four or five days and will change into froglets in about two months. The gray treefrog finds its food in the trees and shrubs. It eats moths, tree crickets, ants, flies, grasshoppers and beetles. It is very acrobatic and will often jump from branch to branch to catch its prey.

Habitat:

The gray treefrog lives in moist, deciduous woodlands and swamps near water. It is also found in pine barrens.