Florida's Frogs
"True" Frogs (Family Ranidae)
_________________________________________________________
American Bullfrog
(Lithobates catesbeianus)
American Bullfrog (click on small images to view larger)
Photos by Steve A. Johnson (UF). To obtain permission to use these photos for educational purposes, email tadpole@ufl.edu.
Size:
Usually 3 to 6 in. (max. 8 in.)
Identification:
Body is greenish; belly is whitish. Back and belly are marked with a dark, net-like pattern. Backs of thighs are stippled with small, light spots. Like all "true frogs," they have large eardrums and webbed hind feet. The longest toes on the hind feet extend past the webbing (as you can see in the photo above); Pig Frogs are highly similar in appearance but the backs of Pig Frog thighs have bold light spots or stripes rather than small, abundant light spots.
Breeding:
Late Spring and Summer -- breeding may begin earlier and continue into the Fall in the South; eggs are laid in a large surface film. Call is a deep, rumbling bass, usually described as saying "jug o' rum." To hear frog calls, visit the USGS Frog Call Lookup and select the species you want to hear from the common name drop-down list.
Diet:
Insects, crayfish, fishes, amphibians, small reptiles, and small mammals.
Habitats:
Found in northern and central Florida, in or around breeding sites. Breeds in small, isolated wetlands and along the vegetated edges of permanent bodies of water, including ponds (natural or manmade), lakes, canals, and ditches.
Map by Monica E. McGarrity - may be used freely for education.
Go Back to Florida's Frogs - All Regions
