Among the many sounds of spring are the chorus frogs – the “spring peepers”. In the evening…I sometimes walk out to the end of the driveway to check out the moon, the stars and listen to the sounds of the night. We have several small ponds within walking distance of my house and that’s where you’ll find the peepers. If there’s a large number of chorus frogs at a pond, they can be heard 1-2 miles away on a quiet, windless night.
These chorus frogs are quite common over the Eastern U.S. and Southeast Canada and are found throughout the state of Michigan.
They do climb trees, but usually not very high. Their bodies have smooth skin in shades of tan, brown, green, or gray, with lines that form an X-shaped pattern on their backs. Tadpoles have gills to breathe underwater and tails to help them swim. The tadpoles transform into frogs over the course of 6 to 12 weeks.
They are typically 1″ to 1 1/2″ long. Only males “sing” and use this call to attract a female. There are also “satellite males” who don’t make any noise. They will strategically place themselves near those frogs that make louder calls in an attempt to intercept females.
As temperatures fluctuate in the spring, the chorus frog can survive the freezing of its body fluids down to 17 deg. F. They eat ants, beetles, flies, spiders and other insects. A female can lay 900 eggs. A typical spring peeper will live about 3 years.
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