Northern cricket frog (Acris gryllus crepitans) is found from southern Wisconsin south through much of Texas to the Mexican border. This subspecies is found as far east as Ohio and as far west as Nebraska. The range of the other subspecies is from New York south to Florida.

Acris genus contains the cricket frogs. Frequently, the peepers (small Hyla), the cricket (Acris), and the chorus frogs (Pseudacris) are difficult to tell apart. Generally, the cricket (Acris) are non-climbing species with some webbing between the toes. The chorus (Pseudacris) have some webbing with toe pads, and the peepers (Hyla) lack webbing and have toe pads.

Tree Frogs (Family Hylidae) are found on all continents of the earth. They are usually small with long legs with suction cups on their feet. Included in this group are cricket frogs, tree frogs, and chorus frogs. There are about 630 species in this family.

In his excellent 2011 book on Frogs and Toads of the World Chris Mattison notes the number of species in this family is now about 891. He divides this family into three subfamilies including the Hylinae (636 species), Phyllomedusinae (59 species), and the Pelodryadinae (196 species).

Order Anura contains the jumping amphibians such as the frogs and the toads. Chris Mattison in Frogs and Toads of the World published in 1992 gives a very good overview of this group of amphibians. He states that there are 3,445 species in 310 different genera that he believes should fall into 21 different families. The three largest families, in terms of species, are the Ranidae (Typical frogs) with 667 species, the Hylidae (tree frogs) with 630 species, and the Leptodactylidae (small to medium Neotropical frogs) with 710 species. The Bufonidae (true toads) has 335 species.

In 2011 Chris Mattison published a new work under a similar title that appears slightly different by different publishers. In this book he states that the number of species of frogs and toads in the world is now at 5,858. However, he further notes that this group of animals is in serious trouble on a world wide basis. He notes that in 2008 the IUCN noted that 398 species were critically endangered (with 37 of those probably extinct), 650 endangered, and 578 vulnerable.

Amphibians (Class Amphibia) are best known as the frogs, toads, and salamanders. Amphibians begin their life as larvae that live in the water. Some species continue to evolve so that the final forms can breathe air. A typical example, is the Bullfrog of North America that begins life as a tadpole, and then finally turns into a adult frog. Amphibians usually have a soft, moist skin, and four legs adapted for walking or jumping or climbing. They have a three-chambered heart which gives them a fairly advanced circulatory system. There are probably about 2,500 species in this class.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

NEW SEARCH