Identifying Frog and Toad Vocalizations

One of best ways to identify anurans (frogs and toads) in the field is by their vocalizations.  Like birds, each anuran species has a unique mating call that can be accurately identified with some practice.  Here is an excellent website where you can listen to the calls of various north American species.


This photograph shows the Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans), a common species in Oklahoma that is small and well camouflaged, but can be easily identified by it's distinctive vocalization.


Cleveland Museum of Natural History- Index of Frog Calls

Texas Horned Lizard

Another lizard that is more common than I expected here in Osage County is the Texas Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum. This species, sometimes called a "horney toad" is in decline over much of it's range. Their primary prey is the Red Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus. The Horned Lizard prefers open grassland or pasture.

Legless Lizards?

Legless lizards or the Western Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) seem to be fairly common here in Osage County. I have run across several in the past year. I finally did get a reasonably good photo of one this past summer.

Opportunistic Herpetology in the Classroom

Another really neat thing about autumn in Oklahoma is that we have an abundance of herpetological activity. Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians; that is what I specialize in. The cooler, more moist conditions trigger animals to move in preparation for winter. They are feeding and migrating; some salamanders and toads are even breeding this time of year. This week we have observed several reptiles and amphibians including: American Toad (Bufo americanus), Green Tree Frog (Hyla cineria), Common Snapping Turtle (Celidra srpentina), Ornate Box Turtle (Terapene ornata), Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), and Water Snakes (Nerodia) eggs.

Many of these animals can be easily observed in the classroom with some basic training and safety precautions. Animals can often then be released back at the point of capture. There are certain permits that are required to hold these animals in captivity. If you would like more information on Oklahoma Herpetology you may contact me. I will try to post some more tidbits in ZooBlog along the way- time permitting.