Southern Leopard Frog: 21 Facts You Won't Believe!
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The southern leopard frog is also known as Rana sphenocephala and Lithobates sphenocephalus, according to its scientific name. They are considered to be native to the eastern parts of North America. The major regions where one can search for these frogs are in coastal areas and on the site of wetlands in Florida, Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
They are also used as a food supply by humans and have been widely used in scientific dissection experiments in schools and institutes. These frogs have a light green or dark brown color with a light spot on their eardrums.
Just like other leopard frogs, they too have a harsh, guttural call which might sound like a croak. This species of frogs are commonly kept as a pet in its native regions.
Read on to know more facts about this species. To read more about similar species, check our articles on pool frog and granular poison frog facts too.
Southern Leopard Frog Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a southern leopard frog?
Southern leopard frogs are aquatic frogs that belong to the Ranidae family of animals.
What class of animal does a southern leopard frog belong to?
The southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) belongs to the Amphibia class of animals.
How many southern leopard frogs are there in the world?
Even though they are considered to be a species of Least Concern, there is no exact record of the population of the southern leopard frog in the world.
Where does a southern leopard frog live?
This species of southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus) is said to be native to the eastern range of North America. The habitat range for this species is known to be in parts of Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Jersey, and Nebraska.
What is a southern leopard frog's habitat?
As these true frogs prefer a habitat that is closer to shallow freshwater, the leopard frogs' breed is found in abundance across the coastal plains. They love to live in the wildlife lake, river, and streams.
Their habitats also comprise wetlands, swamps, marshlands, and forests. These frogs have also been spotted on the temporary ponds' site in eastern parts of the United States as they usually engage in their breeding process in these ponds.
Who does the southern leopard frog live with?
The habitat range of this species is well spread which makes it easier for them to stick to their solitary nature. These frogs prefer to be on their own apart from during their breeding season.
How long does a southern leopard frog live?
Leopard frogs have an average lifespan of six to nine years, although wildlife observations have stated that southern leopard frogs have a life expectancy of just two to three years in the wildlife. In captivity, they may live for eight to 10 years.
This species has a small life expectancy in the wild due to its predators like herons especially the green heron, northern or water black snakes, and grackles.
How do they reproduce?
The breeding season for southern leopard frogs occurs mainly during the winter and spring. These seasons can be observed between November and March. Males engage in a guttural sound which is their mating call to attract the females or to let them know about their locations.
After the females and males mate, the females lay their eggs in small clusters of several hundreds of eggs. These eggs are laid mainly in March.
The females lay the eggs in breeding colonies that take place in shallow waters. The eggs hatch into small tadpoles. These tadpoles take around two months to transform into their adult bodies.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of southern leopard frogs has been marked of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Southern Leopard Frog Fun Facts
What does the southern leopard frog look like?
Southern leopard frogs go through a metamorphosis where a distinct physical description can be made twice during their life cycle. The babies or tadpoles have long tails. These tails have dark spots.
As they transform, the babies develop over a period of 90 days. After the transformation, they have long hind legs, pointed-head with a light green, dark brown back. This back has distinctive green-brown spots. They have dark-colored eardrums with a light spot in the center.
This light spot is on both the eardrums. The males have their vocal sacs which are lighter in color than the belly. This sac takes a spherical shape after inflation.
How cute are they?
No, even though this species of southern leopard frogs are kept as pets more than often, they are not considered entirely cute.
How do they communicate?
Southern leopard frogs are vocal and tactile in nature. They use their harsh guttural call sound to communicate. This call is mainly used by males to search for their mates during the breeding period. They also engage in visual cues to alert in case of danger whenever predators are near.
How big is a southern leopard frog?
Southern leopard frogs have a length range of 2-3.5 in (5-8.9 cm). This length makes these southern frogs two to five times bigger than Donahue frogs. In comparison, the horned frog is quite large at 8 in (20.3 cm) long.
How fast can a southern leopard frog jump?
As these frogs have strong and long hind legs, they can jump quickly and reach a height of around 3 ft (0.9 m). They engage in such jumps while saving themselves from predators like snakes on the land.
How much does a southern leopard frog weigh?
Even though these frogs from northern America are considered to be medium-sized, their exact weight range is still unknown.
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no separate names for males and females. The southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus) is a gender-neutral term.
What would you call a baby southern leopard frog?
The babies of these frogs are called tadpoles.
What do they eat?
Southern leopard frogs are omnivores and engage in a diet that consists of insects, small mammals, and amphibians. Just like most leopard frogs, the southern breed too feeds on small fish, crayfish, worms, and other small invertebrates. The tadpoles are usually keen on eating the many aquatic plants that are easily available to them.
Are they dangerous?
No. As they are not poisonous, there haven't been any dangerous human-harming encounters concerning these frogs.
Would they make a good pet?
Yes, these light green and dark brown-colored frogs are considered to be common pets.
Did you know...
If one wants to choose the southern leopard frog as a pet, it is important to care for it in the correct way. Keep this frog in an aquarium with at least 2 in (5 cm) of freshwater which can help the frogs to submerge completely.
It is important to change their water frequently. Try to keep the environment close to their wildlife requirements. Feed them a minimum of two to three crickets, worms, or fly larvae every day.
Do leopard frogs eat fish?
Yes, they do eat small fish that swim in freshwater. When kept as pets with other fish, they might even eat the aquarium fish whenever hungry.
How can you tell if a leopard frog is male or female?
One can spot male and female leopard frogs by observing their physical appearance. Females are usually bigger in size than the males. Females have smoother skin while males have loose skin near their throat for the vocal sac. The color of this area is usually light and different from the belly.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these marine toad facts and tree frog facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Southern leopard frog coloring pages.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.
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