Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Tiny Gray Tree Frogs

By: Tom Berg

Gray Tree Frogs are very small creatures, typically measuring 1.5 to 2 inches long. Believe it or not, these tiny amphibians are equipped with two amazing “super powers”. One of those remarkable powers is their climbing ability. They have large, sticky, specially-adapted toe pads which allow them to climb vertically or horizontally, even across very smooth surfaces like glass. 

Their other extraordinary power is their ability to change color depending on their surroundings. They camouflage themselves with splotches of gray, green and brown to hide from predators. They are usually only seen when they move, which doesn’t happen very often during daylight hours. Since they are nocturnal, these tree frogs are most active at night.

Gray tree frogs usually live high up in trees, climbing from leaf to leaf and catching a wide variety of insects for food. Ants, spiders, flies and gnats are common prey, but they also eat snails, slugs and even smaller tree frogs. Sometimes they appear on the windows of houses at night, hunting moths and other flying insects that are attracted by the lights inside the house.

During the winter, these tree frogs must find a safe place to hibernate. Some hibernate in their local trees by finding a deep crevice to hide inside, while others bury themselves in leaf litter on the forest floor.  Others crawl under the roots of trees to spend the winter. They survive freezing temperatures by producing a type of glycerol in their body which acts as a cryoprotectant and lowers the freezing point of their bodily fluids.

Gray tree frogs start life as tadpoles, just like other frogs. After metamorphosis from tadpole into froglet, they usually turn bright green for a day or two before changing to the more familiar mottled gray. Once they become camouflaged, though, you should consider yourself lucky if you spot one of them!

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