Sunday, February 13, 2011

Bullfrog


True Wild Life | Bullfrog | The bullfrog is one of the most widely distributed frogs across the North American continent. The bullfrog is a medium-sized frog that is best known for it's loud cow-like calls, hence it's name. Bullfrogs are found in a wide range of permanent freshwater habitats including ponds, swamps and lakes where the bullfrog tends to prefer to be closer to the banks rather than out in the open water. Bullfrogs also prefer to be in warmer climates rather than the cooler ones.


Today bullfrogs are being more and more commonly kept as pets and are even eaten by locals in some of the more southern regions of North America. Bullfrogs have also been introduced to other countries throughout the world where they have generally had a devastating impact on the local ecosystems. Bullfrogs are carnivorous animals and bullfrogs have a diet that is meat-based. Bullfrogs are nocturnal hunters, hiding and resting during the day and actively hunting by night. Bullfrogs hunt a variety of insects and their larvae, eggs, spiders and even small fish. Some of the larger bullfrogs, today found in South Korea, have been even known to eat small snakes.


Due to the relatively small size of the bullfrog and the fact that its calls can be heard for some distance, the bullfrog has numerous different predators within its natural environment. Aquatic animals including large fish and river turtles are the most common predators of the bullfrog along with a number of snake species. Bullfrog breeding occurs around late spring to early summer, when the male bullfrogs call out to the female bullfrogs attracting them into their territory. Once the bullfrogs have mated, the female bullfrog can lay around 20,000 eggs which float together on the surface of the water.


The bullfrog eggs hatch in less than a week, and thousands of bullfrog tadpoles emerge into the surrounding water. The tadpoles begin to develop limbs and start to look like adult frogs. This whole process can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years, depending of where the bullfrog lives. Bullfrogs are generally quite hardy animals and can get to be 10 years old in the wild. One bullfrog kept in captivity was said to have died at the age of 16!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

BULLFROGS DON'T MATE! THE MALES CLASP THE FEMALES BY THE HIPS OR BEHIND THE ARMS AND WHEN THE EGGS ARE LAYED, THE MALES FERTILIZE THEM FROM THE OUTSIDE! i'm sorry for sounding rude, but i'm 12 and i know this because i own 3 bullfrog froglets, 1 frog and 1 tadpole (american bullfrogs), and it's frustrating when people don't have the right facts because everytime info changes hands, it changes meaning (slightly) until the whole point of the fact is UNTRUE!

Anonymous said...

btw, i'm the same person. as the one above. can u make a page on midland and southern painted turtles please? thanks! i have one and i would luv 2 know how to take care of it... :)

Anonymous said...

wow. chill..it's a frog LOL

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