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| Common
name: Bullfrog/American bullfrog |
| Scientific
name: Rana Catesbeiana |
| Family:
Ranidae, True Frogs |
| Origin
of name: The male's deep resonant croak sounds like a bull's bellow.
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| Range:
Native to eastern North American, found from Canada to Mexico. |
| Habitat:
Lives in or near quiet lakes and ponds. |
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| Morphology:
|
| -Hind
legs can grow up to 25 cm (or 10 inches); body can grow up to 20
cm (or 8 inches). |
| -Males
are larger than females. |
| -Mature
frog is dull green, occasionally black. |
| -Its
skin is "slimy" because it is covered with mucus to prevent it from
drying out. |
| -Back
feet are fully webbed, hind legs are heavily muscled, making bullfrogs
good jumpers and swimmers. |
| -Large
"ears" or tympani behind the true eyes are specifically receptive
to the mating calls of other bullfrogs. |
| -On
spring nights (mating season), the males float in the water to give
mating calls. |
| -They
are aggressive in defending their territories and attack intruders
violently. |
| -Often,
another male near the territory does not call but tries to intercept
females as they approach the caller. |
| -Females
lay about 10 000 - 20 000 eggs in quiet waters. |
| -The
eggs hatch into dark-spotted tadpoles which take one year to mature
into adult frogs and 2 - 3 years if the climate is cool. |
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| Behavior: |
| -Dinural,
often sunning themselves on the banks of a water body. |
| -Plunge
to safety at the first sight or sound of trouble. |
| -Able
to stay submerged for long intervals and bury themselves on the
mud bottom. |
| -Hibernate
during winter. |
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| Diet:
|
| -Have
tongues used to catch insects. They are long and very sticky. |
| -Eat
almost anything they can catch and fit into their mouths. |
| -Have
large appetites and are usually voracious feeders. |
| -Eat
fish, crustaceans, mice, snakes and small frogs. |
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| Longevity: |
| -live
up to 30 years or more. |
| -Due
to heavy predation, the life span is shorter in the wild. |
| -Continue
to grow throughout their lives but much slower after first five
years. |
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| Relation
to humans: |
| -Their
legs are eaten as a delicacy. |
| -Common
character in popular literature. |
| -In
the U.S., frog jumping contests were held for more than a century.
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