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Northern Cricket Frog

(Acris crepitans)  Special Concern

Identification: Dark triangle between eyes; large webs between hind toes; whitish marks on upper lip; upper side usually grayish with small irregular dark marks; eardrum small and indistinct; dark stripe on rear of thigh; head and body length up to about 38 mm (1.5 inches), adults average about 26–27 mm (1 inch).  

Mature male: Throat yellowish or dusky; innermost toe of front feet with thickened pad on inner side during breeding season; expanded vocal sac evenly rounded.

Breeding call :  An accelerating then decelerating “gick-gick-gick” lasting up to 30 seconds and sounding like stones being tapped together.

Larvae: Upper side olive to brown with black mottling; eyes well separated, slightly inside outer margin of head when viewed from above; tail long with low fins (greatest tail height about 10–11 mm, 0.4 inches), fin with bold dark markings and sometimes with dark tip; narrow dark line along upper edge of muscular part of tail; belly white to yellowish, with coiled intestine visible; usually 2 rows of tiny teeth on upper lip, 2-3 rows on lower lip; up to about 4–5 cm (1.6-2.0 inches) long.

Eggs: Deposited singly or in small clusters; float, or stick to submerged plants.   

Colorado Distribution: Northeastern Colorado. Possibly extirpated, not seen in the state since 1979.    

Habitat: Vicinity of sunny, muddy or marshy edges of permanent or semipermanent ponds, reservoirs, and streams, and along irrigation ditches, in pastures and sandhill country.

Life History: Lays eggs among aquatic vegetation in spring or early summer. Larvae metamorphose into small frogs usually in about 10-15 weeks, as early as early July. Few of these frogs live more than a year .

Revised: July, 24 2003