Spring Peeper-Bog Ecosystem

Spring Peeper

Order:  Anura

Family:  Hylidae

Genus:  Pseudacris

Species:  P. crucifer

General Characteristics:

Spring Peepers 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. Spring Peepers live in wooded areas where there is water. Usually they are near marshes, ponds, and streams.  Spring Peepers need the water to lay eggs. This is also where they mate.

Special Adaptations:

Spring Peepers are nocturnal, so they are most active at night. In the winter, when temperatures drop to freezing, the Spring Peepers' bodies also drop to freezing, but only some parts really freeze. Spring Peepers produce glucose in their livers. Glucose is a sugar that acts as an anti-freeze that is pumped to vital organs including the heart and lungs. Other parts of the Spring Peeper's body will form ice crystals and freeze.