Natural History of the American Green Tree Frog

On our adventure through the Stono Preserve, I came across an American Green Tree Frog that was hopping through the dense vegetation of a forested area located a few feet away from a small pond. The distinctive bright green color and black-bordered, white/cream streaks from its lips to its groin identified this species as Hyla cinerea. This particular frog was relatively small so it likely recently completed metamorphosis and is male because females of this species are much larger. Hylids have well developed toe discs, extensive webbing, and toepads. Out of the local genera of Family Hylidae, the Hyla genus has the largest toepads. These large toepads assists these frogs in their arboreal life style. A unique feature about Hylids is that their skin color can vary between green, gray, and brown due to light, moisture, temperature, stress, or activity level. 

Green Tree Frogs are in the Order Anura, which have very complex life cycles with highly specialized larvae. They are oviparous with herbivorous larvae that undergo dramatic metamorphosis because they transition from herbivores to carnivores. They also use acoustic and visual communication to attract mates, warn others about nearby predators, and even to announce incoming rainfall. This species exhibits no signs of parental care after the deposition of eggs, therefore they have large clutch sizes with the average being around 400 eggs.