Southern Cricket Frog
Acris gryllus
A tiny shoreline frog whose rapid metallic clicks carry across Florida ponds, marshes, and wet ditches.
Southern Cricket Frogs live along shallow freshwater edges with mud, grasses, floating plants, or low emergent vegetation. Color varies widely from gray and brown to green, often with a bright stripe down the back.
They leap quickly into water when disturbed and return to the shoreline after danger passes. Clean shallow margins, native plants, and pesticide-free buffer zones protect adults, tadpoles, and insect prey.
Habitat:
Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes and Ponds, Canals and Ditches
Area / Range:
Florida Panhandle, North Florida, Central Florida, South Florida
Diet:
Eats small insects, spiders, springtails, flies, mosquitoes, and other tiny invertebrates near the water's edge.
Behavior:
Active along shorelines and quick to jump into shallow water. Males call with a rapid series of metallic clicks, especially during warm wet breeding periods.
Daytime, Nighttime, Dawn and Dusk
Active Times:
Best time to see:
Warm wet evenings and mornings around vegetated pond edges, marshes, and drainage ditches.
Florida Native Status:
Native
Conservation Status:
Least Concern across most of its range; wetland drainage, pollutants, and pesticide exposure reduce local populations.
Safety Level:
Low
Safety Information:
Observe without handling. Amphibian skin absorbs chemicals easily, so keep soap, sunscreen, insect repellent, fertilizers, and pesticides away from habitat.
Benefits to Property:
Consumes many small insects and supports snakes, birds, fish, and other native predators in healthy wetland food webs.
Property Concerns:
Causes no property damage. Calls can become noticeable near productive ponds during warm rainy weather.
Fun Fact:
- The call sounds like two small metal objects clicking together.
- It can jump many times its body length.
- Florida frogs often remain active through much of the year.
Wildlife Laws:
Collection on public land and commercial possession are regulated. Protect wetlands and follow current FWC rules before capturing, moving, or keeping native amphibians.
Identification:
Very small frog with rough, slightly warty skin, a pointed snout, a dark triangular mark between the eyes, barred legs, and a pale or bright stripe that often runs down the center of the back.