FWS Focus

Overview

Characteristics
Overview

The Illinois chorus frog is a member of the “Fat Frog” clade of North American chorus frogs and spends a lot of its life buried in sand. Floods, habitat loss, extreme weather and other environmental stressors have put a pinch on wild populations in parts of its range.

Scientific Name

Pseudacris illinoensis
Common Name
Illinois Chorus Frog
FWS Category
Amphibians
Kingdom

Location in Taxonomic Tree

Identification Numbers

TSN:

Characteristics

Characteristic category

Habitat

Characteristics
Habitat

Known as a habitat specialist, the Illinois chorus frog requires fine, sandy soils for foraging and overwintering, as well as seasonally flooded wetlands to reproduce.

Characteristic category

Physical Characteristics

Characteristics
Size & Shape

These frogs are stout-bodied, with enlarged forelimbs for burrowing, and measures about an inch and a half long.

Weight

These unassuming frogs weigh about as much as a quarter.

Characteristic category

Food

Characteristics
Food

Metamorphosed frogs eat small terrestrial arthropods obtained from ground surface or in soil. Larvae eat suspended matter, organic debris, algae, and plant tissue.

Geography

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Timeline

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