Appearance ²

5.5-10.8 centimeters. Very smooth skin. Its color ranges from green to bronze, brown or, rarely, blue. White belly with dark lines and spots. Males have yellow bellies in mating season. Back feet are webbed until the fourth toe. It is distinguished from the bullfrog by a distinct ridge on either side that extends from above its eye along its entire back.

Habitat ²

Permanent shallow water, generally in wooded areas or meadows.

Behavior/Reproduction ²

Breeding season is in March through August. Females choose males based upon the male’s territory, and they lay two egg masses per season. Each egg mass consists of 1000 to 7000 eggs. The eggs hatch after 3-5 days, and tadpoles become frogs between 3 months and 2 years. Tadpoles can hibernate in mud underwater; likewise adult frogs hibernate under stones or in mud.

Fun Fact ²

Green frogs are capable of eating snakes.

Citations ²

https://academics.skidmore.edu/wikis/NorthWoods/index.php/Rana_clamitans_melanota_-_Green_Frog

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Gavan Watson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/34259482@N00/265374088
2. (c) gburg2016, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• AMNH Amphibian Species of the World
• AmphibiaWeb
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HerpMapper
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• VertNet

iNat Map