Boreal Chorus Frog

Pseudacris maculata

The call of the Boreal Chorus Frog is a sure sign that spring is underway. Even though this small frog often goes unseen, many recognize its call: the sound of a finger being run over the teeth of a comb.

Habitat

Listen for Boreal Chorus Frogs in spring in marshes, wet forest openings and grasslands, wet farm fields, and even roadside ditches, from southern James Bay in Quebec, through northwest Ontario, most of
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and up into the Northwest Territories.

You can find Boreal Chorus Frogs at Oak Hammock Marsh!

Food

Boreal Chorus Frogs feed mainly on small insects.

Behaviour

Breeding begins in early spring, as soon as the snow melts. Eggs are laid under water in small ponds with in clumps wrapped around plants and sticks. They hatch in about three days. The tadpoles take about
forty days to grow and develop. Adults have suction cups on the tip each toe to climb and hunt in trees and branches at night, resting during the day under leaves or in thick vegetation to hide from predators such as snakes, birds, small mammals, and even large insects. Winter sees them hibernate under logs or underground. They are freeze tolerant, stopping their breathing, heartbeat, and muscle movements, by using a protein in their blood which keeps the body fluids from freezing.

Conservation

Boreal Chorus Frogs are not considered threatened, but habitat loss and degradation can affect local populations.

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