Rana catesbeiana

• Overview
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Overview

Amphibian. The bullfrog has been widely distributed via aquaculture and the aquarium trade. It is one of the most frequently cultivated edible frogs , worldwide. Primary concerns are competition with and predation upon native herpetofauna.

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Prefers to live in larger bodies of water, and particularly in grasses along the banks of quiet waters.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 5,478 meters (0 to 17,972 feet).Mean = 285.730 meters (937.434 feet), Standard Deviation = 389.290 based on 1,384 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biome: lakes , water courses , wetlands

Ecology: This species inhabits ponds , swamps , lakes , reservoirs , marshes, brackish ponds (in Hawaii), stream margins and irrigation ditches. It is sometimes found in temporary waters hundreds of metres from permanent water. It winters at the bottom of pools . It may disperse from water in wet weather. Eggs and larvae develop in permanent slow or non-flowing bodies of water. (Ref. 0)


List of Habitats :1.4Forest - Temperate 3.4Shrubland - Temperate 4.4Grassland - Temperate 5.1Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls ) 5.2Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks 5.4Wetlands (inland) - Bogs , Marshes, Swamps, Fens , Peatlands 5.5Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) 5.6Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) 5.7Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) 5.8Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) 5.9Wetlands (inland) - Freshwater Springs and Oases 5.13Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Inland Deltas 14.1Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land 14.2Artificial/Terrestrial - Pastureland 14.4Artificial/Terrestrial - Rural Gardens 14.5Artificial/Terrestrial - Urban Areas 15.1Artificial/Aquatic - Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) 15.2Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha) 15.3Artificial/Aquatic - Aquaculture Ponds 15.5Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) 15.7Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels) 15.8Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land 15.9Artificial/Aquatic - Canals and Drainage Channels , Ditches

Biology

Diet

Larvae eat organic debris , algae, plant tissue , suspended matter and small aquatic invertebrates . Adults consume any animal that can be swallowed, even snakes , bids, fish, crawfish, and other frogs . It is a voracious feeder and eats almost anything that it can swallow, including insects, crayfish, earthworms, leeches, spiders, snails, salamanders, frogs, snakes, turtles, lizards, fishes , birds, shrews, moles , and bats.

Reproduction

Sexual. Breeds from February to October. Its call sounds like a jug o'rum. External fertilization of unshelled eggs takes place as the eggs are deposited in water. Egg masses are attached to vegetation which is in water. The jelly-coated eggs form a floating raft which may measure as much as a meter across. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days. Bullfrogs breed from early spring through late summer, depending upon local climate.Gravid females commonly contain from 1,000 to 20,000 eggs, with larger females producing larger clutches. Maximum clutch size is over 40,000 eggs. They will produce multiple clutches in a season under favorable conditions.

These amphibians undergo a completely aquatic life stage before metamorphosing into semi-aquatic adults . This larval stage is variable in length, from 4 months to over 2 years, taking longer in colder climates.

Behavior

This frog is highly aquatic , and never strays far from permanent water, whether it be marsh , pond , lake , or reservoir . It sometimes frequents temporary water bodies long distances from permanent water. It prefers water with thick aquatic vegetation such as cattails and can even tolerate brackish water. The Bull Frog is not dependent on rainfall for breeding. It is nocturnal but calling commonly occurs during the day as well. The Bull Frog winters at the bottom of water bodies.

The Bullfrog is eaten by water snakes , snapping turtles, large fish, herons, opossums, skunks, and raccoons. To escape cold winter temperatures , the Bullfrog burrows into the mud at the bottom of lakes, streams , or ponds.

Call is a deep pitched "jug-o-rum" or "Br-wum" bellow. Calls are made during the day and night. It can be heard up to 1/4 mile away.

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 29-Aug-2005.

Similar Species

The largest frog in North America, this frog ranges from yellowish green to brown. It can be distinguished from the Green Frog because it does not have dorsolateral ridges. The Pig Frog has webbing to the very tips of the toes. The River Frog has white spots on its lips.

Members of the genus Rana

There are approximately 645 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

R. aberae · R. aberdariensis · R. abyssinica · R. acanthi · R. adenopleura · R. adspersa · R. adspersa edulis · R. aequiplicata · R. aesopus · R. affinis · R. afghana · R. agilis · R. albolabris · R. albotuberculata · R. alsopus · R. altaica · R. alticola · R. amamiensis · R. amieti · R. amnicola · R. amurensis · R. amurensis coreana · R. anchietae · R. andersonii · R. angolensis · R. angolensis chapini · R. anlungensis · R. ansorgii · R. apilis · R. aragonensis · R. arathooni · R. arbalis · R. archotaphus · R. areolata (Crawfish Frog) · R. areolata aesopus (Crawfish Frog) · R. areolata areolata (Southern Crawfish Frog) · R. areolata capito · R. areolata circulosa (Northern Crawfish Frog) · R. areolata sevosa · R. arfaki · R. arvalis · R. arvalis arvalis · R. arvalis wolterstorffi · R. asiatica · R. asiatria · R. asperata · R. asperrima · R. atriculatia · R. attigua · R. aurantiaca · R. aurata · R. aurora (Red-Legged Frog) · R. aurora aurora (Northern Red-Legged Frog) · R. aurora cascadae · R. aurora draytoni · R. aurora draytonii (California Red-Legged Frog) · R. austricola · R. bacboensis · R. balcanica · R. banaorum · R. banjarana · R. bannanica · R. baramica · R. barbouri · R. basaltica · R. beddomii · R. bedriagae · R. bergeri (Italian Poolfrog) · R. berlanderi · R. berlandieri (Rio Grande Frog) · R. berlandieri group · R. betsileanus · R. bibronii · R. bicolor · R. binotata · R. blairi (Plains Leopard Frog) · R. blythi · R. blythii · R. bolavensis · R. boulengeri · R. boylei · R. boyli · R. boyli boyli · R. boylii (Foothill Yellow Legged Frog) · R. boylii boylii · R. boylii mucosa · R. boylii muscosa · R. boylii sierrae · R. brachycephala · R. brama · R. breviceps · R. brevipalmata · R. brevipoda · R. brownorum · R. bunoderma · R. burnsi · R. bwana · R. bwanade · R. cacondana · R. caldwelli

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More Info

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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 21, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 29, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 18 providers.
• National Invasive Species Information Center, National Agricultural Library, United States Department of Agriculture. Web Site. Accessed May 3, 2008.
• Santos-Barrera, G. et al. (see rationale for full list of assessors) 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
• Universal Biological Indexer and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 17, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 29, 2008:

• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum: Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Bird Studies Canada: Marsh Monitoring Program - Amphibians
• Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
• California Academy of Sciences: CAS Herpetology Collection Catalog
• Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Amphibian and Reptile Collection - Anura
• Carnegie Museums: Amphibians and Reptiles
• EMAN Provider: FrogWatch Canada
• European Environment Agency: EUNIS
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University: MCZ Herpetology Collection - Amphibian Database
• Museum of Southwestern Biology, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles: Museum of Southwestern Biology, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles database
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• San Diego Natural History Museum: Herps specimens
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Biological Records Centre - Reptiles and Amphibians Dataset
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Centre - Amphibian Records for Wiltshire 1900 - 2003
• University of Alberta: University of Alberta Herpetology Collection
• University of Colorado Museum: Zoological specimens
• Yale University Peabody Museum: Peabody Herp Collection DiGIR provider Service

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2475581
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-173441
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13801188
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 173441
• IUCN ID: 58565
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AAABH01070
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 22

Footnotes

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