Description: Squirrel treefrogs are average sized treefrogs. Their size ranges from 1-1.5 inches. These treefrogs can be found in a variety of colors, in fact, each individual frog can assume a variety of different colors (comparable to a chameleon). Their background colors range from green to yellowish to brown. They can either be spotted or plain, some have bars between their eyes and some have light broken stripes down their sides. Often, the only way to identify this frog is through process of elimination: Green Treefrogs (D. cinerea) have a white stripe down their sides, Barking Treefrogs (Hyla gratiosa) are larger with more granular skin, Gray (D. chrysoscelis/D. versicolor) and Pine-woods Treefrogs (D. femoralis) have bright yellow coloration or spots on their inner thighs.

Habitat: They occupy a wide range of habitats including fields; urbanized areas; swamps; pine and oak groves; opened wooded areas; the sides of buildings and almost anywhere that food, moisture and shelter can be found. They return to wetlands to breed, typically in locations such as ephemeral pools, roadside ditches or canopy pools where they are safe from predatory fish.

Range: Squirrel tree frogs are found in the southeastern United States, from Virginia to Eastern Texas to the Florida Keys. The species is prominent throughout the Coastal Plain regions of South Carolina and Georgia. They have recently been introduced to the Bahamas, on Grand Bahama Island and Little Bahama Bank. They very rarely are found as far north as Mississippi.

Found in these States: AL | AR | CO | DE | FL | GA | LA | MD | MS | NC | NJ | PA | SC | TN | TX | VA

Diet: The tadpoles are suspension feeders that scrape organic and inorganic matter from rocks, plants and log substrates. Adult squirrel tree frogs are very aggressive predators on insects and other invertebrates. They have been observed visiting porch lights in the evening to catch the bugs drawn in by the lights and circling piles of fresh cow-dung to devour the midges that were attracted to the cow-dung. An examination of tree frog stomachs found that nine were empty; four contained beetles; two contained only plant debris; and the rest contained a mixture of crayfish, spiders, crickets, and ants. Tree frogs' eating habits are affected by geographic location, weather, and developmental stage.

Reproduction: The females are oviparous and the eggs are laid singly or in pairs, typically less than or equal to one thousand in number. Males have a special breeding call that can be heard from March to August, even extending into autumn in some parts of the country. Lays clutch of up to about 1000 eggs in spring or summer. Eggs hatch in several days. Aquatic larvae metamorphose into terrestrial form in about 6-7 weeks.

Status: This frog is extremely common in the south and can be seen much of the time on wet nights, around lighted areas and roads. They are often mistaken for other species of frogs because of their range in color and markings. Secure and Apparently Secure in all regions except Arkansas which has it classified as Critically Imperiled.

Subspecies: None

Taxonomy: