Green tree frog

Description:

The green tree frog is green medium-sized, up to 2.5 inches 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. Green tree frogs "prefer habitats with plentiful floating vegetation, grasses, and cattails" and are often found in "small ponds, large lakes, marshes, and streams." Most American green tree frog females breed once per year, but some have multiple clutches in a single mating season. The average number of offspring in a single clutch was observed to be approximately 400 eggs. Eggs take between four and 14 days to hatch, with an average of five days. Breeding is known to be strongly influenced by day length, temperature, and precipitation. It is known as the frogs generally breed following rainfall, and males call more frequently as temperature and day length increases. Males use a distinct advertisement call, "noticeably different than release or warning calls," to attract mates. Once a mate has been attracted, the pair begins amplexus, in which "the male tightly grasps onto the female to bring their cloacal openings close together for fertilization. Males are polygynous, generally seeking to mate with as many females as they can attract. American green tree frogs show no parental investment except for mating and egg-laying. American green tree frogs are insectivores, usually consuming flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects.

Habitat:

Cumberland Trail, Ashland City, Tennessee.