Northern Cricket Frogs are very common tiny frogs of shallow water (puddles, ditches, pond margins). In North Carolina, they occur almost exclusively in the Piedmont region and are replaced in the Coastal Plain by the similar Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus), which is slightly smaller, with a more pointed snout, and longer legs with less webbed feet.

Chatham Co., NC 3/25/08.

Highly variable, even within a single puddle, cricket frogs can usually be identified by the backwards-pointing triangle on top of the head and often have a contrasting stripe down the back.

Orange Co., NC 3/13/2011.

Chatham Co., NC 3/25/08.

This little guy was well camouflaged on the rocks on the shore of Falls Lake.

Granville Co., NC, 11/11/2001.

Granville Co., NC 11/11/01.

In addition to sounding a bit like crickets (more like two small rocks being clicked together), they're cricket-sized, ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 inches in length.

Durham Co., NC, 3 November 2002.

Another example of the variability in coloration, this one has a bold red stripe down its back, but note the backwards-pointing triangle on top of the head.

Orange Co., NC, 31 March 2002.

Granville Co., NC 4/27/08.