Paul Whitten
Male Spring Peeper, Hyla crucifer, 2006

Photomacrograph, direct digital capture

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Medical Photography, New York, New York, United States

The chorus of the spring peeper, Hyla crucifer, is one of the first signs of spring in the central and eastern United States and Canada. This small tree frog measures from 1.9 to 3.5 cm long. Its high-pitched ascending whistle produced by males can be heard over a long distance. Peepers are found in grassy lowlands and wooded areas near ponds, swamps, and temporarily flooded areas. They are generally nocturnal, emerging at night to feed on insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates. Like the wood frog, spring peepers can survive being almost entirely frozen while hibernating during the winter months. This frog was photographed in Hunter, New York.

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