What is a Gray Tree Frog?
The Gray Tree Frog is a frog that lives in rainforest trees, eating insects and small animals.
The Gray Tree Frog is one of the most common species of tree frogs found in the Amazon Rainforest. They are also known as the “Gray-faced Treefrog” because of their gray-colored skin and lack of any other coloration.
Why Frogs Are Extinct in India and Why They’re Coming Back
Frogs have been extinct in India for the past few decades. They are coming back now because of the efforts of a conservationist.
Frogs are disappearing at an alarming rate, but there is hope. In recent years, conservationists have made a lot of progress in bringing frogs back to India.
India has always been a land with many diverse ecosystems and frogs were always present in these environments before they became extinct.
How Many Species Remain on Earth and How Do We Protect Them?
There are over 8.7 million species on Earth and we are losing species at an alarming rate. In fact, about 1,000 species go extinct every year.
We need to take action now to save these endangered species from extinction. The good news is that there are plenty of ways for people to help protect them.
One way is by donating money to conservation projects that seek to protect these endangered animals and plants from the dangers of poaching and habitat loss.
Physical Description
A gray tree frog’s color varies depending on what’s happening in its environment and what activities it engages in. They can range from a greenish hue to a more sage-like “smudgy” pattern. Frogs, regular frogs, cohabitate all over the world. The color of their spots varies between green, buff, or gray and they can have dark stripes that go from the rear of their eyes to directly in front of their legs. The snout is short and the skin is warty and coarse.
Scientists discovered that one of the features of a female teal’s upper body is bright yellow, making it easier for predators to distinguish from other members of the species. Along with this warning signal, the bright colors also serve to help predators recognize prey. The gray tree frog has webbed hands and feet. The enlarged tip of each digit produces an adhesive fluid that allows this species to better grip trees and increases its climbing abilities. The frog’s belly is white, although the male reveals a black tail with white rings around it.
The gray tree frog tadpole transitions into a complex color pattern, including different shades of brown and green as it ages. As a tadpole, the coloring is orange and vermillion with black markings around the jaw-line edge. In comparison to other animals, the Tiger has a natural camouflage setup. Its stripes don’t throw off a visual signal and so it can easily blend in with its surroundings. Just like how you or I would look if we were the same color as everything around us.
Size
Adult male gray tree frogs are typically smaller than females. Females can range from 1-2 inches (38-60 millimeters) whereas males average between 32-52 millimeters in length.
Native Habitat
The gray tree frog can be found all around the eastern parts of the United States. From Florida to Texas, to areas in Canada and beyond. The color of the tree is a deep shade of green. The lower trunk can be spotted quickly from 100 feet and up from ground level. The small leaves provide dense camouflage while they grow in between larger, broad-leaved trees with more sunlight.
All habitats have access to trees & water. When baby frogs are young, they usually stay close to the forest floor but as they age, they can move up into the canopy.
Communication
Males emit a loud, musical call, usually after dusk, for as long as four hours. The male uses the call to establish a breeding territory and to find a mate.
Food/Eating Habits
Adult gray tree frogs mainly prey upon different types of insects, including their own larvae. They may also occasionally eat smaller frogs, including other tree frogs. Tree frog parasites are common and include mites, spiders, plant lice, and snails/slugs.
They are nocturnal and hunt in the understory of wooded areas, eating organic detritus found in the water.
Reproduction and Development
Males of the species, who are referred to as stag, will start calling in early spring after emerging from hibernation. Stag typically calls from trees and bushes near the ground to females (female deer!) who may be in a group or scattered around.
It takes gray tree frogs at a certain time of year to breed. The peak of reproduction can vary by temperature, but most often happens in early spring when they are from March to August. Females may mate up until the final weeks of breeding when males will be in their callings season.
Dominant males need to keep the other males from invading their territory and will wrestle, kick, and fight nimbly until the subordinate male retreats. They are very protective of their space. Females will sometimes instigate mating by approaching a calling male and touching him before rotating 90 degrees.
The reproduction process in the amplexus is a mating move where the male loops his front legs around the female, who then releases eggs that are externally fertilized by the male. Even though mating occurs while the animals are floating in the water, eggs are spring-loaded into the environment. Once deposited, these clusters of eggs come pre-attached to a layer of mucous which keeps them safe at all times.
Tadpoles can take up to three to seven days to hatch, depending on their specific environment’s water temperature. Hatching occurs when an embryo has released a fluid, which dissolves the egg cell’s wall. Frog development will be possible once the frog has reached a certain temperature. As tadpoles, they will typically mature 45-65 days after metamorphosis, and will then become sexually mature in 2 years.
Sleep Habits
At night, gray tree frogs search for insects in trees and also climb vertically or move horizontally with speed. This is how they stay hidden from predators.
Lifespan
Gray tree frogs are typically around seven to nine, with their average lifespan being 8 years old.
