#squirrel treefrog

Not sure how many of you have seen these little guys before….

Interesting Nature Facts #79 – Squirrel Treefrogs

Squirrel Treefrogs! Welcome to the next installment of a new series of nature photos that will be short & sweet, and all about the native and naturalized wildlife that is all around us with just one or two interesting nature facts that you might not know about. If you want to find out even more, simply click on the links below!

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Visual cues in the Squirrel Treefrog

Data on visually mediated behavior have shown that anurans are capable of seeing objects at illuminations below the level at which humans are able to see. The Squirrel Treefrog, Hyla squirella (Hylidae), not only is able to detect moving prey items at 6 x 10[-5] lx using vision alone; females also use visual cues to select their mate.

The Squirrel Treefrog is a common species occurring throughout the coastal plains of the southeastern United States and typically occupies forest habitats containing a vegetative understory. Most individuals are active only at illuminations below 10[-3] lx. Breeding is tied strongly to rain events and occurs only in ephemeral pools during the spring and summer months. 

In the context of mating behavior, vocalizations in this species are sufficient for female attraction. However, recent experiments have shown that females of squirrel treefrogs also use visual information to assess potential mates when such information is available:

Given two calls of equal attractiveness, females are likely to choose a male that is visually accessible (those males that make themselves visually accessible may gain a mating advantage over males that remain hidden in the vegetation).

All else being equal, males who possess a large lateral stripe are more likely to be chosen by a female than males possessing a diminutive stripe. One possible reason for females to select males with larger stripes may be that stripes provide some information about male quality (males that are in better condition may invest more energy into pigmentation for stripe production or some males may have greater access to pigment-producing chemical).

Reference: [1]