Cryptic behavior is independent of dorsal color polymorphism in juvenile Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens)

摘要

Animals that are susceptible to predation sometimes engage in crypsis to conceal themselves from predators. Such behavior often consists of background color matching via substrate choice. Intraspecific color variation may result in differential substrate preference among color morphs. I investigated this idea using juvenile Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens), which exhibit either green or brown background color. Both color morphs spent more time on dark, concealing substrates than light, revealing ones and hopped less frequently when located on dark, concealing substrates. Frogs did not respond differently to green and brown fabric substrates, and they preferred brown natural substrates over green ones. Because green and brown frogs did not behave differently in any experiment, this study suggests that juvenile Northern Leopard Frogs exhibit a generalized cryptic behavior pattern independent of background body color.