Monday, April 2, 2012

Natural History: Pseudacris crucifer aka Spring Peeper

On our outing to Dixie Plantation I found a Spring peeper, formally known as Pseudacris crucifer. I found a male. I could tell this by the visible vocal sac. The signature x pattern on the back was very well defined. He was an average sized adult. Before I caught him he was hopping around in the woods near the swampy water. Spring peepers have a very recognizable call. Here is a link to a good video of a male calling. It even shows the expansion of his vocal sac. 
I thought it was interesting that the female seemed to have a much darker reddish color than the male, but that could very well be situational. Although I found him on the ground they have the ability to climb trees, thanks to their toe discs. 
 Size reference.
 Male on left, female on right. She was a bit larger than him.
 Look at that X!
 Putting them back in their habitat.
Male on left, female on right.