


Types of Frogs Found in East Texas

By Slone Wayking

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Wooded and water sections around East Texas become a symphony at night. The distinctive trills of frogs can be heard throughout the area, especially during mating season. One species is even poisonous.

Cope's Gray Tree Frogs

Cope's gray tree frogs grow to an adult size of 1 to 2 inches. Their backs are warty instead of smooth, and they’re usually olive green or gray. As their name suggests, they live in trees and go to the ground only to mate, between March and July. They are often mistaken for the gray tree frog, but they are distinguished by their faster and higher-pitched trill.

Green Tree Frogs

Green tree frogs have smooth skin. They're typically bright green, with white stripes on their sides and small yellow dots on their backs. They are 1 to 2.5 inches long, and they prefer to walk rather than leap. Their diet includes various types of insects. Green tree frogs attach their eggs to floating plants, and this species can be found in swamps as well as along the edges of lakes and streams.

Spring Peepers

Spring peepers have slender bodies and unwebbed toes, and their backs bear a distinctive "X" mark. They grow to around 2 inches. They can be brown, olive, yellow or gray. These frogs breed between November and February, but they hibernate if the weather is extremely cold. They prefer wooded areas with a temporary water source.

Pickerel Frogs

Pickerel frogs are the only poisonous frogs native to the United States. They are usually light brown with rows of dark spots, and they can grow up to 3 inches long. If disturbed their skin secretes a toxin that isn't lethal to humans, but it can be irritating. They are named pickerel because fishermen often used them as bait to catch the pickerel genus of fish, such as pike. These frogs prefer clear water environments. They aren't a protected species in Texas.

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