- spring peeper
-
a tree frog, Hyla crucifer, having an X-shaped mark on the back and voicing a shrill call commonly heard near ponds and swamps of eastern North America in the early spring.[1905-10, Amer.]
* * *
Species (Hyla crucifer) of tree frog found in ponds, marshes, and other damp areas in the U.S. During the breeding season it can be found in woodland ponds; at other times it is seldom seen.It has a high, whistling call and is one of the first frogs to vocalize in spring. It is tiny (only 0.75–1.3 in. or 2–3.5 cm, long) and grayish, tan, or olive-brown, with an X-shaped or irregular brown mark on its back.* * *
(species Pseudacris crucifer), small tree frog (family Hylidae) found in woodland areas in the eastern United States and Canada. Outside of the breeding season, when it may be found in ephemeral woodland ponds, it is seldom seen.The spring peeper, with its high, whistling call, is one of the first frogs to vocalize and breed in spring. Larvae metamorphose into tiny froglets in two to three months. It is grayish, tan, or olive brown with an X-shaped, often irregular, brown mark on its back, and it grows to a length of about 2 to 3.5 cm (0.75 to 1.3 inches).* * *
Universalium. 2010.
