Frog of the Week

Brimley’s Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brimleyi)

Brimley's Chorus Frog
photo by Todd Pierson

Common Name: Brimley’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brimleyi
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Locations: United States – Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia
Size: 1 – 1.3 inches(2.5 – 3.2 cm)

The Brimley’s Chorus Frog lives along the southeastern coast of the United States. Mating season for the frog lasts from December to April with more northern populations starting closer to February. The male frogs call from flooded ditches and shallow ponds to attract the females. Once the female arrives, the male grasps her from behind aka amplexus. Then, she lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. Females lay up to 300 eggs in the water. Neither parent provides any care for their offspring. Tadpoles take 4 to 8 weeks to complete their metamorphosis.

The frog is named after Clement Samuel Brimley, a herpetologist from North Carolina and worked at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. It is not named for his brother Herbert Hutchinson Brimley who worked at the same museum as Clement. Kinda rude tbh

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Brimley’s Chorus Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a decent range and are thought to be common throughout it.

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