Northern Leopard Frog

Description:

The Northern Leopard frog is the only species of Leopard frog that is found in Canada. (Out of the at least 8 known different species of Leopard frog in North America.) It is widespread throughout the continent. The Northern Leopard Frog is green and brown with large, rounded black spots on its body. It has prominent folds of skin on either side of it's back and is usually anywhere from 5 -9 cm (2-3 1/2 in.) in length. The call of the Northern Leopard frog is very low and does not carry very far. These frogs eat mainly insects, spiders and other small invertebrates. They take 2 years to reach maturity and can live around 3 to 4 years in the wild. (They have been known to live for 9 years in captivity).

Habitat:

The habitat of the Northern Leopard frog can vary. It lives in prairies, woodlands, and tundras and is often found a good distance from water. They hibernate at the bottom of bodies of water that do not freeze completely.

Notes:

These photos are of two different Northern Leopard Frogs. While I was out taking photos yesterday, I walked along the marsh edge and realized all these frogs were jumping back in the water from the side of the marsh. There seem to be quite a large number of these frogs in the marsh this summer. It is difficult to get close enough to photograph them, but I managed to get a few pictures. This was one of my favourite frogs when I was growing up, we always had lots at our place.