Natural History: Southern Cricket Frog

On our field trip to the swamps of Dixie Plantation, we found many small frogs that we later identified as Acris gryllus. We first narrowed down which family the frogs were in through the identification of their toe pads, long hind limbs compared to body size, slim waists, and small size. We knew that the frogs had to belong to the Treefrog family, Hylidae. We then were able to identify that the frogs belonged to the Cricket Frogs, Acris because of their small size, warty bodies, V-shaped marking on their backs, stripes on the rear surface of the thighs, and the size of the toe pads (barely wider than the toes). We went further and identified the frog as Acris gryllus due to its coloration, pointed snout, and long hind limbs. However, Dr. Welch warned me that coloration is not such a reliable detector for species because as shown in the photos below, two frogs from the same species can look very different in their patterns and coloration.
These frogs usually live in the Southeast in swamps, marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, small pools, ditches, or bogs. They mainly stay in lowlands, however may follow rivers into uplands. They have a distinct call (characterized as a "click-click-click"), which is how they got their common name. Their call and location are good distinguishers for this species identification.
They reproduce externally through the amplexus position and lay their eggs in freshwater habitats (as listed above). The tadpoles then dramatically metamorphose into lung-breathing adults. It takes roughly 90-100 days for these frogs to metamorphose. These frogs are relatively good jumpers (longest distance is ~8 feet) and are able to camouflage themselves in vegetation from predators. They feed mainly on insects, particularly mosquitoes (thank goodness) and wait until prey is near so that they can lunge and shoot out their tongue to catch it. Since they eat insects, their ecological role helps crops which are harmed by insects and mosquitoes.
Overall, these little frogs are just too darn cute. Below is a link to a recording of their call.

https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/sounds/acrgry.mp3