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To continue the OT streak, first one to ID this little guy gets bragging rights. I found him near my house. (I live in central North Carolina.)

>>To continue the OT streak, first one to ID this little guy gets bragging rights. I found him near my house. (I live in central North Carolina.)
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well if it looks like a frog, sounds like a frog, moves like a frog, it must be a duck lol

i would have to say gray tree frog
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-Stephen-

0.1 soon to be wifey (Babe)
1.0 rotwiler/chow (Boomer)
1.0 norm corn (Jake)
1.0 col redtail boa (Switch, formally known as Dixie)
0.1 ball python (Bella)
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Torpaz & Saphira)

>>To continue the OT streak, first one to ID this little guy gets bragging rights. I found him near my house. (I live in central North Carolina.)
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

>>>>To continue the OT streak, first one to ID this little guy gets bragging rights. I found him near my house. (I live in central North Carolina.)
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>>Thanks,
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>>Frank Roberts
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

I have to give this to Frank, he was the most precise. According to my 5 minutes of research (and assuming the Davidson University page is accurate,) there are two species of gray tree frogs that live in North Carolina, the common (Hyla versicolor) and the Cope’s (Hyla chrysoscelis). However, the former is actually not common in North Carolina, it is only found in a couple isolated areas in NC. The Cope's is widespread throughout the state.

It's pretty interesting, both species are identical in appearance. I'm still reading up on why they've been separated into two distinct species.

Anyway, since I can't do a DNA study, I have to give Frank the nod on this. And Tim gets the booby prize!

Thanks,
Ed

that it is not a duck????? hmmm i guess i have been watching to much animal planet getting all my facts wrong

They are only distinguishable by DNA and their call. But if both are found in the state it could be either, I didn't think Hyla v. versicolor was found that far south.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

some regongnize the frog as a subspecies of versicolor...

Hyla versicolor chrysoscelis

and the northern grey as being Hyla versicolor versicolor.

Using the trinomial zoological nomenclature model.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

acoording to some reading I just did maybe it should be

Hyla c. versicolor

" It is generally believed that H. versicolor evolved from H. chrysoscelis sometime during the last major ice age, when areas of extremely low temperature divided populations. Despite currently sharing habitat, the two species generally do not interbreed."
link.......

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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

>>They are only distinguishable by DNA and their call. But if both are found in the state it could be either, I didn't think Hyla v. versicolor was found that far south.
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>>Thanks,
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>>Frank Roberts

According to the Davidson website, versicolor is only found in
two very isolated spots at the very northern edge of North Carolina. To be honest, I don't really take too much stock in taxonomy, especially in a case like this where there may only be slight differences in DNA and call. But according to what's generally accepted (at least by one herpetologist), I would say you have bragging rights.

Thanks,
Ed

...The frog was easy to ID as a Grey Tree Frog. Those yellow blazes on the underside of the legs were a dead giveaway. Grey TFs are not common around here. Back when all the TFs were more numerous I would see dozens of the other TFs for every one Grey. I knew nothing about the Cope's species and so went to the internet for help after Frank made that ID. Looking at all the stuff about Tree Frogs I am just confused. The markings on that frog look like the markings on the Grey TFs I have seen and the range maps on the internet do not all agree. So I am not convinced that it is a Cope's.

Jeff the frogs can only be told apart from their call and their DNA, basically they are the same frog I called the Grey Tree frog as well, but NJ has banned all Ownership of grey tree frogs because they can not tell the difference between The Northern and Southern species. The "Copes" is basically the same frog with a different call and a mutation in it's DNA to "create" the other frog, I do not think they are different species like science has named them. I have seen both in person and outwardly in appearance their is NO difference they both have the color in the legs ,everything is the same.

Basically you have a grey tree frog that science believes are 2 distinct species, this will happen with a lot of snakes as well like the obsoleta group of rat snakes. I bet they have slight differences in DNA as well.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

the range maps are useless, if their ranges overlap at one point even Maine claims to have Cope's in their state.

In jersey they claim the Copes are the Southern Grey tree frog and are only found in the Pine Barrens and the Northern Grey tree frog is found from mid jersey all the way north.

From this I would have assumed just like in corn snakes that NJ is the ending point or the northern most part of the Copes range.

But if Maine actually has them it's all crap.

Who did all these DNA tests on all these populations to distinguish the 2.

I can understand why they don't interbreed, their calls are different that would be key to attracting the right mate.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

is correct IMHO.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts