Written and
Photographed by: Amanda K. Martin
Walking along in the woods, what
might you see? As a herpetologist, I scour the ground floor, looking for
amphibians and reptiles. There are plenty of different species that I may find
and one in particular is quite easy to identify. The Northern spring peeper or Pseudacris crucifer, its scientific
name, has an identifiable mark, an X pattern across its back. The X pattern can
come in a variety of colors and sizes, but each individual has one.
Spring peepers are found in a variety of environments,
including marshy woods, non-wooded lowlands, and near swamps and ponds. Males communicate
to others through their unique single note, high-pitched call. This note is constantly
repeated quickly and sounds like a “peep.”
Spring peepers start our life as
tadpoles, which are herbivores, grazing on algae or decaying plant material
within ponds. Juvenile and adult spring peepers are carnivores, eating many
arthropods such as ants, caterpillars, pill bugs, and spiders. Although they
may eat a variety of species, spring peepers must also avoid predators. Some
common spring peeper consumers are fish, larger frogs, snakes, and birds.
The Northern water snake is a predator of the spring peeper.
Spring peepers may be a least concern species; however they
play an important role in their environment. As similar to many frog and toad
species, spring peepers are an abundant prey source for predators, while
maintaining the populations of small insects and other arthropods. This maintenance
of some pest species is beneficial to humans and we should continue to preserve
their habitats even though they are common and widespread. The rapid loss of
wetlands will have a large effect on these species and could place them on the
threatened species list!
