Cricket frog


Cricket frogs, genus Acris, are small, North American frogs of the family Hylidae. They occur in northern Mexico, the USA east of the Rocky Mountains, and southern Ontario, Canada.
They are more aquatic than other members of the family, and are generally associated with permanent bodies of water with surface vegetation. This is a quite important aspect of their survival, as adult cricket frogs suffer high mortality rates when submerged in poorly oxygenated water. The common and scientific names refer to their call, which resembles that of a cricket. The two common species are A. crepitans and A. gryllus. A. crepitans are found in mesic woodlands as well as xeric grasslands, whereas A. gryllus are concentrated in mesic woodlands.
Cricket frogs are able to communicate and attract each other using a specific frequency of their mating call, but it can only be heard by members of the same population. Cricket frogs from other locales are unable to aurally process other calls, leading to mating isolation among the species.

Species

There are three species: