Description: The pig frog is green or grey-green in color, with brown or black blotching. It has fully webbed feet, a sharply pointed nose, and large tympana (eardrums). It is easily mistaken for various other species of the genus Lithobates, with which it shares its geographic range, including the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana). Pig frogs grow to a snout to vent length (SVL) of 3.35 to 5.5 inches. They are known for their loud, deep snorting sound, reminiscent to the oinking sound of a pig.

Habitat: Almost entirely aquatic, they are found predominantly on the edges of lakes, or in cypress swamps and marshes that are heavy with vegetation.

Range: Southern South Carolina to southern Florida, west to southeastern Texas

Found in these States: AL | FL | GA | LA | MS | SC | TX |

Diet: Their primary diet is crayfish, but like most bullfrogs, they will consume almost anything they can swallow, including insects, fish, and other frogs.

Reproduction: Breeding takes place from spring through to summer. Eggs are laid in large masses of up to 10,000 at a time on the surface of the water. This species gets its common name from the call males use to attract females, which sounds somewhat like a pig's grunt.

Status: The pig frog holds no particular conservation status and is relatively common in its range. The species has been introduced and established itself in China, Andros Island and New Providence Island in the Bahamas, as well as Puerto Rico.

Subspecies: None

Taxonomy: This species was placed in the genus Lithobates by Frost et al. (2006). However, Yuan et al. (2016, Systematic Biology, doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syw055) showed that this action created problems of paraphyly in other genera. Yuan et al. (2016) recognized subgenera within Rana for the major traditional species groups, with Lithobates used as the subgenus for the Rana palmipes group. AmphibiaWeb recommends the optional use of these subgenera to refer to these major species groups, with names written as Rana (Aquarana) catesbeiana, for example.