“Leopard frogs are very popular with humans.”

Leopard frogs are a popular pet, a delicious food source, and they have found a calling in laboratory experiments in laboratory experiments and science classrooms. Leopard frogs, also known as a meadow or grass frog, is the common name for lithobates, the “true frog” genus. They share this name with the American Bullfrog and others.

5 Incredible Leopard Frog Facts!

• These frogs live about five years.
• A female may lay nearly 7000 eggs at one time.
• The tadpoles have eyes on top of their heads rather than on the sides like many other species.
• Not all species of these frogs have the distinctive spots from which they get their name.
• Leopard frogs can be cannibals, sometimes eating other smaller leopard frogs.

Leopard Frog Scientific Name

The scientific name for these frogs is Lithobates, which is the genus name for amphibians in the true frog family. They are in the family Ranidae, class Amphibia. They are also known as grass frog, meadow frog, or Rana pipiens. There are potentially twenty-three known species of these frog:

• Atlantic Coast Frog (Lithobates kauffeldi)
• Bigfoot Frog (Lithobates megapoda)
• Browns’ Leopard Frog (Lithobates brownorum)
• Chiricahua Frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis)
• Forrer’s Grass Frog (Lithobates forreri)
• Guerreran Frog (Lithobates omiltemanus)
• Island Leopard Frog (Lithobates miadis)
• Lemos-Espinal’s Frog (Lithobates lemosespinali)
• Lenca Frog (Lithobates lenca)
• Lowland Frog (Lithobates yavapaiensis)
• Montezuma Frog (Lithobates montezumae)
• Northern Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
• Northwest Mexico Frog (Lithobates magnaocularis)
• Peralta Frog (Lithobates taylori)
• Pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris)
• Plains Frog (Lithobates blairi)
• Relict Leopard Frog (Lithobates onca)
• Rio Grande Frog (Lithobates berlandieri)
• Showy Frog (Lithobates spectabilis)
• Southern Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)
• Tlaloc’s Leopard Frog (Lithobates tlaloci)
• Transverse Volcanic Frog (Lithobates neovolcanicus)
• Vegas Valley Frog (Lithobates fisheri)

Leopard Frog Appearance

These frogs are between two to five inches in length and vary in color between species anywhere from dull brown to bright green, and all the shades in between, many with white underbellies. Regardless of their main body color, nearly all of these frogs have dark spots in a leopard-like pattern. They are so similar in appearance that they were believed to be all one species until they came into common use in laboratories in the 1940s, at which point scientists began to note distinct differences between the species. The female of the species is larger than the male, and southern frogs tend to be smaller than northern frogs. The tadpoles are distinguishable from other frog species because they have dorsal rather than lateral eyes and a white stripe in between their nostrils.

Leopard Frog Behavior

These frogs are solitary, coming together only for mating. They do have parental care, as the offspring are briefly cared for by the females before going off on their own. These frogs are nocturnal, semi-aquatic, and hibernate in the winter, when they may stop eating for as long as three months! The tadpoles are herbivores, but fully grown adults are carnivorous. The male’s calling noises have been likened to a snore.

Leopard Frog Habitat

These frogs divide their time between land and water. They require moisture from the water, but most of their food is found on land since they feed primarily on insects. They favor grassland that is near water. Bodies of water also allow them to escape predators more easily. They can be found anywhere from the Hudson Bay in Canada down to Mexico and even into upper South America.

Leopard Frog Diet

While these frogs primarily feed on insects, they are opportunists and will eat whatever they can find. This may even include other leopard frogs! They have been known to consume small birds and snakes. They are somewhat lazy hunters, who tend to sit and wait for prey to come along. They then catch them with long tongues that are tacky and stick to prey to keep it from escaping before it is swallowed whole.

Leopard Frog Predators and threats

These frogs have many predators because they are not one of the species of frog that secretes a toxin through their skin. They are hunted by birds, reptiles, mammals like raccoons and foxes, and even other frogs. Humans are a threat to them not only because people consume frog legs, but because these frogs, northern leopard frogs, in particular, are commonly used in labs and also in classrooms for dissection, and due to habitat encroachment.

Leopard Frog Reproduction and Life Cycle

These frogs reproduce by sexual reproduction. Once a male and female mate, the female frog may lay up to 6500 eggs at one time. Depending on many factors, including weather, those eggs may take anywhere from two to four months to hatch into tadpoles and grow into adult frogs. Though adult frogs are carnivores, the tadpoles are herbivores who eat algae and decaying organic matter. These frogs generally live an average of five years in the wild, though they have been known to live as long as nine years.

Leopard Frog Population

The conservation status for most species of these frogs is decreasing. While there are many species of frogs that are not considered in any danger, many other species have populations that are in decline, with several species listed as endangered or even critically endangered. At least one species, the Las Vegas or Vegas Valley Leopard Frog, is listed as extinct.

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