North American Green Frog
Lithobates clamitans
When startled into jumping into the water, this frog often emits a high-pitched squeak and leaves a telltale swirl of silt on the pond bottom.
- Scientific name
- Lithobates clamitans
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Amphibia › Anura › Ranidae › Lithobates
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater marshes, swamps, lake edges, slow-moving streams, and farm ponds with abundant emergent vegetation.
- Diet
- Insects, spiders, snails, slugs, crayfish, small fish, and occasionally smaller frogs.
- Range
- Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada, Midwestern United States
- Size
- 5–10 cm snout-to-vent length
- Lifespan
- 5–10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland draining, chemical runoff from agriculture, road mortality during dispersal, and chytrid fungal infections.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. Observe from a distance of one to two meters along wetland edges without disturbing vegetation. If handled, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, as amphibian skin secretions can irritate human eyes and mucus membranes.
The green frog ( Lithobates clamitans or Rana clamitans ) is a species of frog native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. The two subspecies are the bronze frog and the northern green frog.
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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