Fact File
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Classification: Amphibian
Size: Up to 2.4 inches
Identifying Characteristics
Cope’s Gray Treefrog is similar in size and morphologically indistinguishable from the Gray Treefrog. In Virginia, distribution and call are the best ways to distinguish these species.
Distribution:
This species can be found in a variety of forested habitats throughout the Coastal Plain and in portions of the southern Piedmont along the Fall Zone. It is absent from most of the central and western Piedmont and mountainous areas of the state. It also occurs in far southwestern Virginia south and west of the New River Valley where it replaces the Gray Treefrog in the upper Tennessee River drainage.
Did You Know?
Common name honors the famous naturalist Edward Drinker Cope
Role in the Web of Life
This species breeds from April-August in almost any slow moving or still body of water, including artificial water sources such as buckets and pool covers. Small packets of eggs are deposited in shallow water sometimes attached to vegetation. Their advertisement call is similar to the Gray Treefrog, but with a higher frequency and faster trill rate.
Last updated: January 22, 2024
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