Giant Frog Hops into Place at Museum of Natural History

The giant Northern spring peeper, a seasonal fixture at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax for the past 20 years, will hop into place on the south-east side of the museum on Thursday, May 11.

For many people, the giant spring peeper -- made of wood and fibreglass, and about the size of a Volkswagen bug -- announces that spring has officially arrived and that summer is just around the corner.

The Northern spring peeper is a tiny tree frog about the size of a quarter. Each spring children, adults and families wait and listen for the chorus of peeps -- which are mating calls -- as the official indicator that spring is here. The peeping sounds can be tracked across the province, starting in the more southern areas as early as late March. They can also be heard in northern areas of the province into June.

The first peep from Halifax County was reported on April 1 in Dartmouth, and then on April 2 in Birch Hill, Colchester Co.

There were also reports during the month of April from: Granville Ferry, Jeddore Oyster Pond, Mount Uniacke, North River Bridge, Aspy Bay, Lower Debert, Herring Cove, Westport, and Kempt Head.