Maryland Department of Natural Resources

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


Eastern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)

Adult Eastern Cricket Frog, photo courtesy of John White
Photo by: John White
Former Name:

Size:
  • ⅝ - 1⅜ inches

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.

Habitats:

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

  • 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.

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. 

    • Distribution in Maryland:
    Eastern Cricket Frogs can be found throughout much of Maryland.
    Maryland Distribution Map for Eastern Cricket Frog
    For More Information: