Green Nature

Bullfrog Picture

bullfrog picture


The bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is one tough and adaptable frog.

Most accounts list it as an indigenous species East of the Rocky Mountains that made its way West in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Americans had a taste for frog legs.

The rugged bullfrog was able to outlast the dietary craze and multiply in ponds, lakes and wetlands throughout the West.

Size and dietary habits are two traits going for the bullfrog. It is the largest frog species in the United States. The bullfrog in the picture is an especially large specimen, measuring at least six inches in length.

Their dietary habits are eclectic. They basically eat almost anything that moves in their territory such as fish, insects, other frog species, and other bullfrogs.

Scientists express concern that the bullfrog's territorial dominance contributes to declining populations of other frog species such as the Red-legged frog.

© 2005 Patricia A. Michaels