Summary ⁵

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is an aquatic frog, a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”. This species has traditionally been classified as Rana catesbeiana, however the classification has been changed to Lithobates due to paraphyly in Ranidae. This frog has an olive green back and sides blotched with brownish markings and a whitish belly spotted with yellow or grey. The upper...

Description ⁶

Size: 3 – 8 inches (the largest frog in North America)

Color: Green to brown or yellow

Have smooth skin with a ridges that runs along both sides of the back beginning behind the eye, running over the ear drum and ending at the base of the front legs.

Habitat: Ponds, lakes, slow moving streams with vegetation. (Must be large enough to avoid crowding). Usually found on the bank at water’s edge. When frightened, the bullfrog is likely to flee into nearby vegetation. Large specimens have been known to catch and swallow small birds and young snakes.

Sound ⁶

Voice: Deep-pitched “jug o'rum” resembling the bellow of a bull.

Sound produced by a single internal vocal sac that inflates to form a bulge under the chin. Call can be heard for more than a quarter mile.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) copepodo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/63661371@N00/2838159004
2. (c) 2007 James H. Harding, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=227231&one=T
3. (c) 2010 Todd Pierson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=340115&one=T
4. (c) 2008 Esteban Alzate, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=241773&one=T
5. Adapted by taijioto from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithobates_catesbeianus
6. (c) taijioto, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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