Acris gryllus
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The southern cricket frog or southeastern cricket frog (Acris gryllus) is a small hylid frog native to the Southeastern United States. It is very similar in appearance and habits to the northern cricket frog, Acris crepitans, and was considered formerly conspecific (Dickerson 1906). The scientific name Acris is from the Greek word for locust, and the species name gryllus is Latin for cricket (Georgia Wildlife).
At 0.75–1.5 inches (16–32 mm) in length, Acris gryllus is even smaller than A. crepitans. Other characters that differentiate the southern species are: More pointed snout--A. crepitans more blunt. Hind leg is more than half length of the body when folded—that of A. crepitans is less than one half body length. When rear leg is extended forward, the heel of A. gryllus usually reaches beyond the snout—does not reach snout in A. crepitans.
A. gryllus can jump longer distances than A. crepitans. A. gryllus has a sharply defined black stripe on the back of the thigh--A. crepitans has a ragged stripe. Webbing on rear feet of A. gryllus is sparse, more extensive in A. crepitans.
There is evidence that the color of the vertebral stripe on southern cricket frogs can... Wikipedia →
Recording0:10
United States · 2025
© Dean Firth · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:26
United States · 2025
© bleonar6 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:24
United States · 2023
© Josh Emm · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Cricket Frog sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 9 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Cricket Frog in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in June and July, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Cricket Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Southern Cricket Frog sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Hylidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Cricket Frog that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Hylidae, Hylid Tree Frogs) are Cuban Treefrog (about 20%) and Green Treefrog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Cricket Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (66 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
