Strecker’s Chorus Frog (Pseudacris streckeri)

Common Name: Strecker’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris streckeri
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Locations: United States – Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas
Size: 1.88 inches (48 mm)

While the Strecker’s Chorus Frog is a member of the tree frog family, it spends most of its time burrowed underground. They use their front legs to dig which is unusual for frogs and toads. They are a nocturnal species of frog. The coloration of the frog varies from gray, brown, and green.

The best time to see them is during their breeding season in late winter and spring. The frogs breed in ditches, ponds, vernal ponds, and flooded fields. The male frogs call out from the shallows of these water bodies in hopes of attracting female frogs. Once the female frog arrives, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, the female frog lays her eggs and the male frog fertilizes them. The female frog can lay up to 700 eggs. After the eggs are fertilized, both parents leave and provide no parental care.

The Strecker’s Chorus Frog and the Illinois Chorus Frog have a complicated relationship. Originally, the Illinois Chorus Frog was considered a subspecies of the Strecker’s Chorus Frog. Then, the two were considered two different species by some sources.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Strecker’s Chorus Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. The frogs have a wide range and presumed large population. Biggest threats to them is the draining of wetlands to make room for more development.