Frog in Form

Photo by Ned Harris 7/20/2016

Canyon Tree Frog on ledge in restroom near dam

Haven't seen many of these frogs this year, but maybe I haven't been looking in their preferred break room! Unlike the Red-spotted Toads, Canyon Tree Frogs can breed at different times from spring through early monsoon. Some info from Jim Rorabaugh from the Reptiles of Arizona website:

Breeding occurs both in the spring and during the early part of the summer monsoon. The call, given by the male, is a loud, rattling series of short trills that sound like they are coming from inside a tin can. The call is surprisingly loud given the small size of this frog. Calls are heard mostly after dark, but some individuals will call during day, particularly during or after a rainstorm. One hundred or more eggs are laid in a mass that may be free-floating or attached to vegetation. The eggs hatch in less than two weeks and tadpoles typically metamorphose in 45-75 days. Eggs deposited late in the breeding season may overwinter.

What's the difference between frogs and toads, you ask? Here's the phrase to remember: 

“All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads,” says Christopher Raxworthy, Associate Curator of Herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History.

(Entire article here.)

In other words, frog is the general term that covers all the creatures who look like frogs. Toads are a specific family of frogs.
Now you know!