Spring Peeper

This past Tuesday March 22, 2011 our herpetology lab class went on a field adventure into Francis Marion National Forest. Once we arrived at Francis Marion, we explored the Ion Swamp Trail. Everyone split into different areas/paths in trying to find the many diverse reptiles and amphibians the forest is home to. I searched the forest grounds by turning logs over and when I did spot a salamander or small frog they all escaped fairly quickly before I got a chance to grab it or even get a good look at them. Even though I was unable to catch any reptiles or amphibians of my own, I was fortunate to see some from my fellow classmates who had a better talent at catching these quick herps. A fairly cute and light brown Spring Peeper, Pseudacris crucifer was found in the area. You can tell its a Spring Peeper by its dark cross that squiggles to form roughly an X on its top back. They are small chorus frogs and their calls are fairly high-pitched, resembling the sound of holiday bells. Their body length can be less then 1 inch up to 1.5 inches. They are widely spread all along the east coast of the United States vary in body colorations from tan, brown, gray, and even olive green. They tend to live in forest areas (such as the forest where we found it) and tend to be near areas containing swamps or ponds due to needing water to support its aquatic lifestyle for its eggs and tadpoles. You can see that these frogs do not have webbing on their feet, but instead large toe pads, indicating their ability to be well climbers, however, they can be largely found along the forest floors (such as this one was). Due to its beautiful body pattern, coloration, its small and delicate body size, the Spring Peeper is one of my favorite frogs that I find to be so pretty and cute. Glad to see one in its own natural habitat.

(Michelle Hou, SC)