Chorus Frog

Identifying Featur​es

• 1 to 1.5 inches long; brown with dark stripes on its back and a dark band through its eye.
• Relatively common to locally abundant, but recent declines have been noted in suburban and agricultural areas.
• Generally inhabits marshes, meadows, swales, and other ope n habitats, often adjacent to agriculture. Occasionally occur in damp woods and wooded swamps.
• Remain near breeding sites year round – hidden beneath logs, rocks, leaf litter, or in loose soil.
• Dead grasses and reeds are important near breeding sites for concealment.

Cal​​l

• "It, it, it,” increasing in speed and pitch like a fingernail along a comb.

Breedi​ng

• Calling occurs from mid-March to late May, but most egg laying occurs in April.
• Female lays from 500-1500 eggs in several loose, gelatinous clusters attached to submerged grasses or sticks. Each cluster contains 20-300 eggs.

Develop​ment

• Eggs hatch in 3-14 days. Tadpoles metamorphose in 40-90 days depending on temperatures.
• Sexually mature in one year.
• In drought years, vernal pools may dry up before metamorphosis takes place.

Habita​​t Type

• Permanent wetlands.
• Grasslands and savannas.