Discover Maryland's Herps

Field Guide to Maryland's Frogs and Toads (Order Anura)

Tree Frogs (Family Hylidae)

Eastern Cricket Frog
Acris crepitans crepitans

Adult Eastern Cricket Frog, photo courtesy of John White
Adult Eastern Cricket Frog, photo courtesy of John White

Size

  • ⅝ - 1⅜ inches
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    Appearance

  • Small warty treefrog that does not climb.
  • Highly variable in color, but typically have a greenish blotch over a brown back. 
  • Diagnostic feature is the ragged dark stripe down each thigh, and usually have a dark triangle between the eyes, like the chorus frog.
    •

    Photo of Habitat for Eastern Cricket Frog, courtesy of Rebecca Chalmers
    Photo of  Habitat for Eastern Cricket Frog,
    courtesy of Rebecca Chalmers

    Habitat

  • In or near permanent bodies of shallow water, either in emergent vegetation within the wetland or in herbaceous vegetation along the shoreline, particularly in open areas receiving sunlight most of the day. 
  • They may also be found on bars and shorelines of sluggish or intermittent streams. 

    • Maryland Distribution Map
    Maryland Distribution Map for Eastern Cricket Frog

    How to Find

  • Listen for the call “gick, gick, gick, gick”, which starts slowly then rises and picks up speed, continuing for 20-30 “gicks”.
    It has been likened to the sound of two marbles being struck together. Calls day or night.
  • Look for them as they rapidly hop just out of reach in shallow depressions along the shoreline of ponds and streams. 
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    Maryland Amphibian
    and Reptile Atlas Project

    "A Joint Project of the Natural History Society of Maryland, Inc. and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources"

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    The Maryland Herpetology Field Guide is a cooperative effort of the MD Natural Heritage Program and the MD Biological Stream Survey within the Department of Natural Resources and their partners. We wish to thank all who contributed field records, text, and photographs, as well as support throughout its development.