Florida's Frogs & Toads
True Frogs
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Gopher Frog (Lithobates [formerly Rana] capito)
Size:
Adult Gopher Frogs range in size from about 3 to 4 inches long.
Description:
Gopher Frogs have a light cream or tan-colored body with irregular brown or black markings on their back and belly. They have large, obvious eardrums, and a ridge running down each side of their body. Their skin may be somewhat warty.
Range:
Southeastern coastal US from North Carolina to extreme eastern Louisiana, except South Florida, and a few isolated locations in central Georgia and Alabama.
Breeding Season:
Spring in the North, Spring to Fall in the South
Call:
A deep, loud snore. To hear the Gopher Frog's call, visit the USGS Frog Call Lookup.
Identification:
Gopher Frogs can easily be identified as "true frogs" by their long legs, webbed hind toes, large eardrums, and the ridges along each side of their back. Unlike all of the other species of true frogs in Florida, Gopher Frogs spend most of their time on land, in terrestrial habitats. Gopher Frogs live in upland sandhill habitats that have been maintained by fire, and they can be found in and around the burrows of Gopher Tortoises and small mammals. For more information about Gopher Frogs, their ecology, and the importance of fire for maintaining high quality Gopher Frog habitat, read "Gopher Frogs, Burrows, and Fire: Interactions in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem."
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Gopher Frog Photo Gallery:
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