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Canyon Treefrog
Found in the canyons of western Colorado, along streams.
About This Species
Toe tips paddle-shaped; upper side light brown or gray, often matching color of rock, becoming chalky in individuals in full sun at midday; hind toes with extensive webbing; rear of thighs and groin orange-yellow. Mature male: Throat skin loose and dusky during breeding season; expanded vocal sac is two-lobed.
More Information:
Physical Characteristics
Head and body length up to about 57 mm (2.2 inches).
Range
Canyons of west-central and southwestern Colorado. Fairly common within restricted habitat.
Habitat
Occurs only along rocky stream courses in canyons. Basks on rocks, hides in rock crevices.
Reproduction
Breeding Call
A loud, nasal, rapid, stuttering “ah-ah-ah-ah-ah” lasting usually about 0.75–2.0 seconds, sometimes sounding like an engine turning, a woodpecker drumming, or a machine gun.
Larvae
Upper side brownish, paler than blackish Bufo toad larvae that often occur in the same pools but somewhat darker than large Spea spadefoot larvae; tail fin relatively high, mainly clear with scattered dark squiggles mostly in upper fin and fin tip (sometimes more heavily speckled in large larvae); muscular part of tail with dark bars or spots; belly gold/cream-colored; gut coil visible; throat dark; eyes widely separated, just inside outer margin of head when viewed from above; usually 2 rows of tiny teeth on upper lip, 3 rows on lower lip; tooth row closest to jaw on upper lip has narrow gap in middle; tooth row farthest from jaw on lower lip almost as long as other rows on lower lip; up to at least 54 mm (2.1 inches) long.
Eggs
Deposited individually or in small clumps; generally attached to objects at bottom of stream pool.
Life History
Breeds in pools along intermittently flowing streams, primarily in spring (April-June) but perhaps sometimes after heavy rains in summer. Larvae metamorphose into small frogs as early as late July.