Florida's Frogs
"True" Frogs (Family Ranidae)
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Southern Leopard Frog
(Lithobates sphenocephalus)
Southern Leopard Frog (click on small image to view larger)
Photos by Steve A. Johnson (UF; upper photo) and C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr. (lower photo). Photos may not be used without the express written permission of the photographer. To obtain permission to use the upper photo for educational purposes, email tadpole@ufl.edu.
Size:
Usually 2 to 3.5 in. (max. ~5 in.)
Identification:
Back is greenish-tan to brown, with obvious, raised ridges down each side of the body that extend to the groin. Back is marked with plentiful, obvious dark spots. Upper lip is light-colored; lower lip is marked with dark spots. Eardrum is marked with a distinctive light dot in the center. Snout is distinctly pointed. Like all "true frogs," they have large eardrums and webbed hind feet.
Breeding:
November to March; eggs are laid in clusters attached to vegetation. Call is a chuckle or a squeaky balloon-like sound. 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, other aquatic invertebrates.
Habitats:
Found throughout Florida, with the exception of the northern Keys, in virtually any shallow freshwater habitat (sometimes even brackish), hardwood forests, and pine flatwoods. Breeds in shallow wetlands, including floodplain and bottomland swamps, marshes, ponds (natural or manmade), lakes, canals, and ditches.
Map by Monica E. McGarrity - may be used freely for education.
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