Our herpetology class went to the local Bachelor Pond in Oxford, Ohio on April 23th. It was cloudless in the sky and the temperature was around a cool 66 degrees F. Walking around the edge of the large pond I was able to catch this cricket frog, Acris crepitans. Unfortunately, I had to catch this guy about four times before I had positioned him in a way that I could take a photo with my phone in the other hand. His slippery body and head paired with strong kicking legs made him one capable escape artist as he kept pushing his way out of my hand. Cricket frogs are insectivores. They prefer calm areas of permanent bodies of water where they gather en masse and can serve as an indicator of water quality by being present. Their call, as their name may imply, sounds like a cricket chirping.

(Drew Smith, Miami University)