American Bullfrog (Frogs of British Columbia)

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Summary ⁶

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus or Rana catesbeiana), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is an amphibious frog, a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”. This frog has an olive green back and sides blotched with brownish markings and a whitish belly spotted with yellow or grey. The upper lip is often bright green and males have yellow throats. It inhabits large, permanent water bodies, such as swamps,...

Adult characteristics ⁷

The American Bullfrog is a large species, growing up to 200mm (8in) at maturity. Dorsal color is green to dark olive, ventral color is cream to yellow. There is a noticeable tympanum, especially in males. Dorso-lateral ridges are present and hind feet are fully webbed.

Description ⁸

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.

Sources and Credits

(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda
(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane
(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonysfotos/9211679587/
(c) Liv Monck-Whipp, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Liv Monck-Whipp, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152021656012434&set=a.10152021649787434.1073741831.505912433&type=1
(c) liv.monck.whipp, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by liv.monck.whipp, https://picasaweb.google.com/110547262504887375373/Algonquin2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOKa043vlLSfDQ#5660997732341744898
Adapted by Graham Sorenson from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithobates_catesbeianus
(c) Patrick (Dan) Giltz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/421301
(c) pghparks-taiji, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/68946

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