Northern Cricket Frog, Photograph by Melville Osborne, Flickr

Introduction

Cricket Frogs are an endangered species found in New Jersey everywhere except for in the Pinelands. The habitats for this species are made up of marshes, ponds, and small slow-moving streams spanning all the way from New York State down to the Gulf Coast. Cricket Frogs are endangered and seen as a species of special concern due to habitat loss nationwide. This habitat loss is due to deforestation, pollution, and the destruction of habitat.

Data

This map shows that Madison borough has approximately 45.33 acres of Cricket Frog habitat available in Madison. Madison borough is roughly 2,600 acres, thus about only 1.74% of Madison borough is suitable cricket frog habitat. Much of their habitat utilizes marshes, ponds, and streams which there is not all too much of in Madison borough.  Data were collected by USGS using Gap analysis in order to determine the spatial arrangement of suitable Cricket Frog habitats.

Results

The light blue outlined and green-filled areas on the map depicted above show areas where Cricket Frog have habitats in Madison Borough. Cricket frogs are not easily found and there is a hotline in New Jersey for cricket frog sightings. When identifying a cricket frog, they are easily recognizable by the bright green, red, or gray stripe on its back. Madison borough does not house many cricket frogs due to the small number of suitable living areas found in Madison for cricket frogs. 

Conclusion

The Cricket Frog is one of the more rare frog species in North America, as their population is considered to be in a state of special concern. They form large uninterrupted clusters in their habitat sites and feed on small invertebrates, plant material, and organic debris. This map shows how minimal the cricket frog population is in Madison Borough. They live mostly in areas with marshes, ponds, and small streams which there is not too much of in Madison thus the population and proper living conditions are not sufficient.

About the Data

The data utilized in the map above is from a (USGS) survey conducted in 2018 revealing the habitat distribution of the Cricket Frog. The survey utilizes 2001 ground conditions and shows the entire map of the United States, with a focus on Madison, New Jersey above. This habitat map was created by applying a deductive habitat model to remotely-sensed data layers within the species’ known range. It was known as the Gap Analysis Project (GAP) to examine the species density of the Cricket Frog.

As seen in the map above the green sections are the areas that are considered suitable living habitats for the cricket frog. Madison borough, unfortunately, does not have much suitable habitat for the cricket frog. It is very important that the people of Madison try to conserve the remaining suitable living area for the endangered cricket frog species.