Squirrel Tree Frog Hyla squirella on car window. Dryophytes squirellus. Amphibian. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.

Complete Guide To The Squirrel Tree Frog

ByChristine Species Guides

Squirrel Tree Frog

Squirrel Tree Frog Images

How To Identify Squirrel Tree Frogs

  • Squirrel Frogs are small frogs that grow to about 1.6 inches (4.1 cm) long.
  • Tree Frogs change color in response to environmental conditions, like light intensity, moisture, temperature, and stress, and for camouflage against predators (Tipton et al. 2012)
    • Squirrel Tree Frogs change color dramatically, especially compared to their cousin species, the Green Tree Frog.
    • Depending on conditions, Squirrel Tree Frogs can vary from bright moss green to a pale, muddy green-brown.
  • They have:
    • Smooth skin.
    • A faint, indistinct, white side stripe that starts along their upper jaws and extends to their groins.
    • Pale bellies.
    • A vocal sac under their throats that inflates into a single, large, round balloon.
    • Gold eyes with horizontal pupils.
    • Long, slender legs.
    • Long toes tipped with wide adhesive toe pads.

Squirrel Tree Frog Notes

  • Squirrel Tree Frogs are arboreal and found along the coastal plain of North Carolina.
    • Look for them in moist wooded habitats.
  • Squirrel Tree Frogs prefer to walk, climb, or crawl rather than hop or jump to get around.
  • Green Tree Frogs climb well, thanks to two special modifications of their toes:
    • First, their toes end in large, adhesive pads ideal for gripping vertical surfaces.
    • Second, they can rotate the last joint of each toe backwards and to the side. This swivel action keeps their adhesive toe pads flat against the climbing surface (Tipton et al. 2012).
    • Green Tree Frogs climb even smooth, vertical surfaces like window glass easily; natural surfaces like tree bark pose no challenge for them at all.
  • Squirrel Tree Frogs eat nearly any kind of small arthropod, including:
    • Flies
    • Beetles
    • Pill bugs
    • Spiders
    • Crickets
    • Ants
  • In turn, Squirrel Tree Frogs are eaten by a variety of predators:
    • Squirrel Tree Frog tadpole predators include:
      • Dragonfly larvae.
      • Giant water bugs.
      • Predaceous diving beetles.
      • Predatory fish like Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) and Pirate Perch (Aphredoderus sayanus).
  • Predators of adult Squirrel Tree Frogs include:
    • Birds like Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias), Great Egrets (Ardea alba), and American Bitterns (Botaurus lentiginosus).
    • Reptiles like Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) and Northern Water Snakes (Nerodia sipedon).
    • Mammals, like Raccoons (Procyon lotor), Northern River Otters (Lutra canadensis) and Minks (Mustela vison).
    • Bullfrogs

Squirrel Tree Frog Classification

  • The common name for this species is written “Squirrel Treefrog” or “Squirrel Tree Frog” in scientific literature.

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Amphibia

Order

Salientia

Family

Hylidae (Treefrogs or Tree Frogs)

Genus

Dryophytes (formerly Hyla)

Species

D. squirellus (formerly H. squirella)

Binomial Name

Dryophytes squirellus (formerly Hyla squirella)

author avatar
Christine
Christine is the creator and author of NowIWonder.com, a website dedicated to the animals and plants that share our world, and the science that helps us understand them. Inspired by lifelong exploration and learning, Christine loves to share her knowledge with others who want to connect with wild faces and wild spaces.
See Full Bio

Similar Posts