Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Adult Size: 3½" to 8"

Description: The largest frog in North America. Green to yellow above with random mottling of darker gray. A large external eardrum, the hind feeet are fully webbed except for the last joint of the longest toe. There is no dorsolateral ridges. The underside is cream to white and may be mottled with gray.

Voice: A deep pitched jug o'rum call can be heard for more than a quarter mile on quiet mornings.

Habitat: Aquatic. Prefers ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams large enough to avoid crowding and with sufficient vegetation to provide easy cover.

Breeding: Northern areas May to July; southern areas February to October. Egg masses are attached to submerged vegetaton. Tadpoles are large, 4" to 6¾", olive-green, and may take almost 2 years to transform.

Range: Found in eastern and central United States, also New Brunswick and parts of Nova Scotia.

Diet: Large specimens have been known to catch and swallow small birds and young snakes, although its usual diet includes insects, crayfish, other frogs, and minnows.

Behavior: Nocturnal. Less aquatic than the Pig Frog, it is usually found on the bank at the water's edge. When frightened, it will as soon flee into nearby vegetation as take to water.

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Conservation Status:

Additonal Notes: Attempts to commercially harvest frogs' legs have prompted many introductions of the Bullfrog outside its natural range.

Subspecies: None.