Photo taken by Jason
The particular frog appears to be a Northern Leopard frog with a brunsi morph coloration. This means that the frog lacks spots on its back but can retain them on its legs. It inhabits Canada and the United States, especially northern states such as Minnesota and Vermont. It was once the most widespread frog species in Northern America
The leopard frog inhabits all types of water, including lakes and marshlands.This frog is especially important, as it is an indicator of good environmental health. This is because the frog is highly sensitive to pollutants such as chemicals. This also means that numbers have declined since the 1970s. Other reasons for decline are habitat loss and fragmentation, introduced fish, and drought and disease. Many populations are still in the process of recovering from these disruptions.
Although many animals prey upon these frogs, including raccoons, snakes, and other frogs (according to Wikipedia, even humans prey upon these frogs!), they also feed upon many animals. Their prey includes crickets, worms, flies, smaller frogs, and even snakes and small birds.
These frogs are very important for other reasons as well. They produce chemicals that are currently being used in research for cancer treatments. In addition, the frogs are used to study basic properties of neurons as well as for experiments in muscle physiology. They are also widely used for dissection.
Other facts:
- A female can lay more than 6,000 eggs when breeding
- Their call is described as a long "snoring" sound, ending in a chuckling sound.
References:
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