Cope's Gray Treefrog - Hyla chrysoscelis

Habitat

Cope's gray treefrog lives in woodlands, grasslands, prairies, meadows, fields, and swamps. It is rarely seen on the ground. It is usually found perched on a tree or shrub.

Diet

Cope's gray treefrog finds its food in the trees and shrubs. It eats moths, tree crickets, ants, flies, grasshoppers, and beetles.

Life Cycle

Breeding season runs from April to July. Males gather in vegetation in and near breeding ponds and call out to the females. When the male attracts a female, he comes down from his perch to mate. The female lays as many as 2,000 eggs in groups of 10-40 eggs. The eggs are attached to vegetation in the water. The tadpoles hatch in four or five days and change into froglets in about two months.

Behavior

Cope's gray treefrog is nocturnal. It spends the day resting in trees and shrubs. At night it crawls among the branches and leaves looking for food. It usually only comes out of the trees and bushes during the breeding season and in the winter. It hibernates under leaves, bark, or rocks on the forest floor.

Cope's gray treefrog freezes in the winter! It produces large amounts of glycerol. The glycerol is changed to glucose and then it is circulated through the frog's cells. The glucose acts like a kind of antifreeze and prevents ice crystals from forming in the frog's cells. If ice crystals formed in the cells, they would rip the cells apart and kill the frog. The rest of the water and blood in the frog's body then freezes, and its heartbeat and breathing stop! When the temperature warms up, the treefrog "thaws out" and returns to the trees!