Squirrel Tree Frog

About the Squirrel Tree Frog

The squirrel tree frog (Dryophytes squirellus) is a small species of tree frog found in the southeastern United States, from Texas to Virginia. It is an introduced species to the Bahamas. Squirrel tree frogs are small frogs, about 1.5 inches in length as adults. There are several color variations, but most commonly they are green and look very much like the American green tree frog. They can also be varying shades of yellow or brown, sometimes with white or brown blotching. Males may also possess a relatively large, conspicuous lateral body stripe, with thicker stripes being more attractive to female frogs.

As a tadpole, the squirrel tree frog is preyed upon by dragonfly nymphs, giant water bugs, predatory fish and newts. Once the tadpoles metamorphose, the predators of the frogs change to small mammals, other frogs, snakes, and birds.

To reduce the danger of being eaten as tadpoles, they use dense vegetation as cover. However, they do not appear to reduce activity within this cover. It has been suggested that the drying of the ponds is a more significant threat to the frogs than predation. As adults, they use their diminutive size and color-changing ability to avoid... Wikipedia →