Green Frog (Rana clamitans)

Related Species

Related Terms:

Insectivore

Predators

Habitat

Diet

Tadpoles

algae

Adults

insects
worms
smaller frogs
minnows

Green Frog at the Saint Croix Boomsite | View Enlarged Image

The Bullfrog's Not-so-Little Brother

The Green Frog is the second largest frog in Minnesota, surpassed in size only by the American Bullfrog with whom they are commonly confused (best way to tell the two apart are the long ridges that run down the Green Frog's back.) Its call, commonly heard in late spring, a month or more after the Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs begin their chorus, is usually compared to an out-of-tune banjo string being plucked. Its call be heard late into the night, after temperatures have dropped too low for Peeper activity. Green Frogs are alert and well adapted to life in the ponds and lakes. Their eyes allow them to see in many directions while the circular patches of skin behind their eyes serve as ears, reverberating sound that is interpreted by the brain.

They typically winter (hibernate) in the muddy bottoms of lakes, streams, and ponds.

Promoting our Frogs

Green Frogs and other amphibians are endangered by runoff, water pollution, pet predation and habitat destruction. You can promote them in your backyard by creating water gardens, landscaping with native rocks and creating "frog houses" by digging shallow ditches (no more than 5" in diameter and 2" deep and placing flat rocks or plywood over them. There should be just enough room at one end to allow a frog to enter, and the lid should be heavy enough (weighed down with dirt or rocks) so that predators such as fox, raccoons and house pets cannot get in.

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