Click here to hear the males voices and click the 'Listen' button:
One of the first true signs of spring in New England and nearby areas is the evening calling of the Spring Peepers
Spring Peepers, Pseudacris crucifer are small frogs that grow less than an inch and a half long. They can be tan or gray or dark brown, but they all have a dark "X" on their backs. Spring Peepers also have large toe pads for gripping plants when they climb.Spring Peepers are rarely seen, but are often heard in early spring. They breed from March to June, and in early March you can hear male Spring Peepers calling for mates. Many people think they are crickets, but you only hear crickets in late summer and early fall.
Spring Peepers live in wooded areas where there is water. Usually they are near marshes, ponds, streams, or vernal pools. Spring Peepers need the water to lay eggs. This is also where they mate. Spring Peepers are nocturnal, so they are most active at night.
Male peepers call the females at night in the spring. Each call is a high-pitched whistle, but many peepers’ together sounds like jingling bells. Females come to the calling males, and after mating, they lay eggs on underwater sticks and plants. Eggs hatch into tadpoles in about twelve days. Tadpoles will eat algae and tiny organisms in the water.
Tadpoles will change to adult Spring Peepers in a few weeks. Adults spend the rest of the year in the woods, coming out at night to look for food. Spring Peepers eat mostly small insects, such as beetles, ants, and flies, as well as spiders. They look for food on the forest floor or by climbing low shrubs. In the winter, Spring Peepers hibernate under logs or loose bark on trees. These small frogs can survive having most of their body frozen.
Spring Peepers have many predators. As eggs and tadpoles, they are eaten by fish, aquatic insects, turtles, and other creatures. As adults, they are preyed upon by snakes, Bullfrogs, birds, and a few mammals.
Spring Peepers live in wooded areas where there is water. Usually they are near marshes, ponds, streams, or vernal pools. Spring Peepers need the water to lay eggs. This is also where they mate. Spring Peepers are nocturnal, so they are most active at night.
Male peepers call the females at night in the spring. Each call is a high-pitched whistle, but many peepers’ together sounds like jingling bells. Females come to the calling males, and after mating, they lay eggs on underwater sticks and plants. Eggs hatch into tadpoles in about twelve days. Tadpoles will eat algae and tiny organisms in the water.
Tadpoles will change to adult Spring Peepers in a few weeks. Adults spend the rest of the year in the woods, coming out at night to look for food. Spring Peepers eat mostly small insects, such as beetles, ants, and flies, as well as spiders. They look for food on the forest floor or by climbing low shrubs. In the winter, Spring Peepers hibernate under logs or loose bark on trees. These small frogs can survive having most of their body frozen.
Spring Peepers have many predators. As eggs and tadpoles, they are eaten by fish, aquatic insects, turtles, and other creatures. As adults, they are preyed upon by snakes, Bullfrogs, birds, and a few mammals.
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