American Green Tree Frog

Looks how to spot one

Slim, smooth-skinned tree frog with toe pads

A medium-small, streamlined tree frog with long legs, smooth skin and large bulging eyes with horizontal pupils. A clean pale stripe usually runs along each side, and females grow a little larger than males.12

Personality what they are like

A shy, mostly solitary frog that sits quietly on stems and leaves by day with its legs tucked in, then becomes active after dark. Best enjoyed by watching rather than handling.12

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Nocturnal and agile; it actively chases most of its prey and climbs and jumps among plants, especially in damp weather.12

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

A terrarium of at least ten gallons with humidity-holding substrate, climbing branches and a shallow water dish suits it. Extra heating is usually only needed if the room drops below about 21 C. Keep handling to a minimum.1

Home where they are happiest

Taller planted terrarium with perches and a water dish, echoing the marshes, pond edges and lily-covered waters it lives around in the wild.12

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Insectivore that eats flies, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders and other small invertebrates.12

Company who they like around

Solitary outside the breeding season, when large calling choruses form around ponds.2

The story where it all began

Johann Gottlob Schneider described the species in 1799, and it spent most of the 20th century under the name Hyla cinerea. Louisiana and Georgia have both chosen it as their official state amphibian.1

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Least Concern1

State of Louisiana

Official state amphibian (1997)1

State of Georgia

Official state amphibian (2005)1

Taxonomy

Described by Schneider in 1799; long known as Hyla cinerea before moving to Dryophytes1