Bullfrog

Description:

Brown, with green upper lip. 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. This frog is the largest in North America and is distinguished by lacking dorsolateral folds and having very large tympanums, larger than the eye in males.

Habitat:

This one was living in a derelict garden pond. North American bullfrogs must live in water and are therefore usually found near some source of water, such as a lake, pond, river, or bog. Warm, still, shallow waters are preferred. Bullfrogs are becoming increasingly common in areas that have been modified by humans. Increased water temperatures and increased aquatic vegetation, which are common factors of lakes polluted by humans, favor bullfrogs by providing suitable habitats for growth, reproduction, and escape from predators.

Notes:

Used and harvested as food and for dissection in biology classes. The specific name, catesbeiana (feminine) or catesbeianus (masculine), is in honor of English naturalist Mark Catesby.