Bullfrogs

Bullfrogs are one of the “true frogs”. They are usually green to greenish brown, and on average they grow to be about three to six and a half inches in body length. They can weigh up to 1.65 pounds. There are record size bullfrogs that have been as big as eight inches long. With their legs stretched out you can add another seven to ten inches to the above length. They have a broad flat head, and their eyes are gold colored or brown. You can tell the females from the males by their (tympanum), which is their eardrum. On the female, the eardrum is the same size as her eyes. Male bullfrog’s eardrums are larger than his eyes. The female bullfrog is usually larger than the male. Their hind feet are completely webbed except for the last joint of their largest toe.

The bullfrog is known for its voracious appetite. They do not have a specific diet. Their hunting method is to sit and wait. They will eat anything that moves and they can swallow.  Its long muscular tongue with very little effort can capture and flip large prey into its mouth where the catch is chomped upon and trapped by the frog’s sharp teeth. The bullfrog’s teeth are located in the roof of its mouth. This location of the bullfrog’s teeth allows it to quickly and securely trap its prey. Bullfrogs will eat small vertebrates: birds, reptiles, fish, turtles, and even other frogs. Vertebrates have backbones and spinal columns and can be fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, or birds.

Bullfrogs are very territorial.  They are diligent about protecting their spaces. If intruders are seen on their territories, they will make load noises and attack using wrestling maneuvers until they chase away the intruder. The females are attracted to males who live in areas that provide the most food. Other than man, the bullfrog has no natural predators, thanks in part to the toxic secretions its skin produces when touched, and animals that manage to capture the bullfrog often release them due to the unpleasant taste. Coupled with the strength of its long legs and its very loud guttural bellow (cry/croak), the bullfrog is able to keep away and deter predators.  The American bullfrog uses its skin, its buccal cavity (the opening of its mouth that leads into the throat), and its lungs for respiration.  Gas exchange through its skin is very important to all amphibians.

The bullfrog starts out as an egg. These eggs are on a large thin sheet of at least 12 inches in diameter and can be up to five feet wide. The sheets are attached to submerged vegetation. These sheets contains up to 20,000 eggs.  When the eggs hatch, they become tadpoles with gills. When the tadpoles are about three inches long, they turn into frogs.  The tadpole’s tail shrinks back into its body. It can take 12 months to 24 months for a tadpole to become an adult. The adult frog can live for up to 13 years. The bullfrog larvae sometimes will winter in the tadpole stage.

The adult bullfrog winters at the bottom of water bodies.  They like to take up residence where there are plenty of cattails. They are found in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They are not native to the Western U.S.  In some areas of the Southwest, where they have been introduced, measures are taken to control their spread because they compete with and sometimes drive out important natives species. Here in our area the bullfrogs are very important ecologically.

Bullfrogs are very instrumental in keeping the population of mosquitoes down. So the next time you see someone who just likes to kill bullfrogs, you can thank them for the mosquitoes that bother you, your children, and your animals. Mosquitoes, too, carry deadly diseases that affect and can kill humans and animals. States that have unusually high volumes of mosquitoes will have bullfrogs shipped to them. They will add them to their waterways, rivers, lakes, and streams.

A group of cows is called a herd, a group of wolves is called a pack, groups of fish are called a school, what do you think a group of frogs is called? HINT -Think green. I will put the answer somewhere below amongst the following bullfrog facts: Bullfrogs can leap a distance of up to six feet - Bullfrogs are able to close their nostrils, but when under water they continue to absorb necessary oxygen through their skin - Bullfrogs, like all frogs, have smooth skin, while toads have textured skin - Male bullfrogs will chase, attack, and have wrestling matches with other male bullfrogs that enter their territory - The toxic secretions from a bullfrog’s poison glands (called paratoid glands) can poison a dog if it tries to eat one - It actually can rain frogs! As recently as June of 2005 thousands of tiny frogs rained down in a town in northwestern Serbia. Strong winds brought storm clouds, but instead of rain down came tiny frogs that were picked up by the storm’s winds - A group of frogs is called an army - Hearing is one of the bullfrogs most important senses as it uses its chorus to attract the females who also have a reciprocation call - Some bullfrog tadpoles instead of one year will remain an extra year in the tadpole stage giving the species a better chance of survival - Scientists use frogs to determine the effect disasters, like spills for one, may have on humans as the health of the bullfrogs predicts the dangers or safety for humans.