Description
The Boreal Chorus Frog is a small, smooth skinned treefrog.
Colour varies from green-gray to brown. There is a dark stripe
through the eye and a white stripe along the upper lip. It is
distinguished from most other treefrogs by the three dark stripes
down the back. In some individuals the stripes are broken into
dashes or dots. Maximum adult size is just under 4 cm.
Call
The breeding call is very similar to the Western
Chorus Frog, but is longer and slower in pulse rate. It resembles
the sound of drawing your finger down the teeth of a comb.
Confusing Species
The Boreal Chorus Frog is almost identical to the Western
Chorus Frog. It has shorter hind legs but is best distinguished by
its call or location as in Canada their distributions do not
overlap. The confusing thing is that the Western Chorus Frog is
found in eastern Canada.
Distribution
The Boreal Chorus Frog is distributed from southern James Bay
in Quebec through northwestern Ontario, most of Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and Alberta and up into the Northwest Territories
along the Mackenzie Valley as far as Great Bear Lake. It is also
found in the central United States and overlaps with the Western
Chorus Frog through part of its range.
Habitat
The preferred habitat for the Boreal Chorus Frog is forest
openings around woodland ponds although in the far north it is
found on the tundra. They will breed in almost any fishless pond
with at least 10 cm of water, including splash pools, roadside
ditches, flooded fields, beaver ponds, marshes, swamps or shallow
lakes.
Reproduction
Boreal Chorus Frogs breed very early in the spring and will
call during the day as well as at night. A series of small egg
masses are laid and attached to vegetation. Eggs hatch within a
few weeks and tadpoles finish transforming by early to mid-summer.
They may take one to two years to reach maturity and rarely live
beyond three years.
Natural history
Chorus Frogs hibernate beneath logs or underground and are
freeze tolerant. They feed on small insects and other
invertebrates and are eaten by a wide variety of predators.
Conservation Concerns
There is no evidence of decline in this species. |
