page_title: Cope's gray tree frog
section_title: Behavior
hierarchical_section_title: Cope's gray tree frog / Behavior
caption_attribution_description: English: A Hyla chrysoscelis (Cope's gray treefrog) metamorph at the University of Mississippi Field Station.
context_page_description: Cope's gray tree frog, also called the southern gray tree frog is a species of tree frog found in the United States. It is almost indistinguishable from the gray tree frog, and shares much of its geographic range. Both species are variable in color, mottled gray to gray-green, resembling the bark of trees. These are tree frogs of woodland habitats, though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond. The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the mating call — Cope's has a faster-paced and slightly higher-pitched call than D. versicolor. In addition, D. chrysoscelis is reported to be slightly smaller, more arboreal, and more tolerant of dry conditions than D. versicolor.
context_section_description: In the Southeastern United States, Cope's gray tree frog breeds and calls from May to August. Isolated males start calling from woodland areas during warm weather a week or more before migrating to temporary ponds to breed. There they form aggregations (choruses) and call together. Chorusing is most frequent at night, but individuals often call during daytime in response to thunder or other loud noises. Eggs are laid in batches of 10 to 40 on the surfaces of shallow ponds and other small bodies of water. These temporary bodies of water usually lack fish, and females preferentially lay their eggs in water bodies that lack fish or other predatory vertebrates and have lower desiccation risk. Eggs hatch in about five days and metamorphosis takes place at about 45–65 days.
  Dryophytes chrysoscelis is capable of surviving temperatures as low as –8 °C.
caption: Metamorphs are typically green
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