Have you heard or seen the Pacific Chorus Frog?

Stewardship Pemberton did… and led us to learn these fun facts:

• The Pacific Chorus Frog is a very appealing little frog, and quite common in B.C.
• They are small frogs, up to 5 centimetres long, and may be any colour from pale grey or tan to bronze or bright emerald green.
• Pacific Chorus Frogs have a conspicuous dark “mask” or stripe extending from the nostrils through the eye as far as the shoulder. They are often marked with dark patches or stripes on the back, and are usually pale cream underneath. Their legs are long and slender; their toes have round pads, which help the frog grip and climb, and there is very little webbing between the toes, making them look quite long.
• Females are slightly larger than males, a feature common to most frogs.
• Outside the breeding season, in early spring, Pacific Chorus Frogs may be found in woodlands, meadows, pastures, and even urban areas, often quite far from the nearest body of water.
• The sticky pads on their toes allow these frogs to climb about on plants with great agility, though they usually stay fairly close to the ground.
• During breeding season, in early spring, the Pacific Chorus Frog makes its way to shallow wetlands where there is a lot of plant cover. By choosing seasonal or “ephemeral” wetlands, the frog can avoid the predation of permanent water-hole residents like bullfrogs.
• Males attract females by calling in unison – a startling loud chorus, of two syllable kre-ek, kre-ek.
• After mating, females lay clusters of 10-70 eggs, attaching them to bits of vegetation in quiet, shallow water.
• Within 2-3 weeks, the eggs hatch into tadpoles.
• The tadpoles become 1cm long Pacific Chorus Frogs within 2 months.
• Listen for them especially during rainstorms. The spring mating choruses are impossible to miss. Sighting them is much more rare.

• Pacific Chorus Frog can throw their voices to some extent, making it quite difficult to close in on a frog by following its call.