Found this big guy outside today. He wasn't moving too fast for sure yet. I think he may just have come out of hibernation. We live in the woods with a creek nearby and the Potomac River close as well. In 22 years here I have never seen this kind of frog nor this big of a frog. He is huge! My guide indicates he may be a River Frog, but the geography is all wrong. Anybody know?
Juanita
Juanita go to this link it may help................................. http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/index.cfm
Dont know what he is but he sure looks healthy, hope he sticks around and eats all the yucky bugs for you
Christine
I would have to bet he's an American Bullfrog .
Description 3 1/2-8" (9-20.3 cm). The largest frog in North America. Green to yellow above with random mottling of darker gray. Large external eardrum; hind feet fully webbed except for last joint of longest toe. No dorsolateral ridges. Belly cream to white, may be mottled with gray.
My first thought was a bull frog, but when I tried to pick him up he went limp and played dead which is a trait of the river frog. He is very dark blackish green and his belly creamy colored and mottled. We just had a big rain and he has since gone back under cover. I'll keep an eye out for him.
Thanks!
he's a cutie. I love toads and frogs.
we have those huge Bull Frogs... big green things in the pond next to my home.
about every other year... or maybe after we've had a heavy rain ... i'll see the babies when i'm mowing the lawn.
one year, after a really heavy rain... we found an adult in the garage... tough bugger to catch. then a few days later, i had the lil babies climbing all over my house and garage door. had to collect them and get them back to the water.
Any toads i find, i put in my flower beds to eat bugs.
Identification can be tricky when they first come out of hibernation. They tend to be darker in color and limp when they first wake up. Toads are very yellow when they wake up. He looks a bit lumpy too, which can confuse things, he may be about to shed his skin. If you have never seen this it is amazing. They pull their skin off like an old sweater and eat it as it comes off. The last to go in is the little hands and for a moment or two it looks as if they have eaten a little elf or another frog!
Anyway. My guess is bullfrog. He will brighten up after a few warm days.
Thanks Jyl. I haven't seen him since Sunday. It has gotten a little cooler here again and I think he has gone back under the wood pile to stay warm. I go out everyday and look for him. :0)
Juanita
I'm going with bull frog see the ear drums on the side of his head. Mine are soo small compared to this guy but when they first come out of hibernation they are black and don't look anything like they do later in the season. I actually heard the first noises out of mine today! Here's a pick of my 'baby' comparatively speaking lol
Give him a big ole kiss---ya might have a real prince there. "snort" Laverne
Great find! They are fantastic creatures for gardeners.
Our resident toad err- frog? Snug, :o)
i had this frog show up he was a morph they said at university of florida, i saw the cuban tree frog mating with a toad
The morph is soo strange looking he's cute.. lol
As for the question at hand definitely an American Bullfrog great find ;)
Blondhavmofun, ... Holy Cow!! A tree frog bred with a toad??!!! Oh my Gosh!, that is amazing!! How goofy but absolutely cute looking!
Neener, yes, sure does look like a Bullfrog. I used to live in an area that was surrounded with them. They are huge but very friendly and they play dead sometimes, hoping you won't seem them. Love bullfrogs.
Sorry I'm replying to a thread that is old (I'm bad that way, lol).
I have no idea what variety he/she is, but he is sure is a cute 'fella'? I agree with others who are hoping he will stick around to eat the bugs for you.
Just thinking. Maybe you could offer him/her a house of some kind, an upturned clay pot maybe with something under one side to lift it off the ground enough to provide a 'doorway'. Might provide incentive to stick around.
Jeremiah?
Jeremiah, what??!
Jeremiah was a bullfrog!
Oh and Neeners, that's a Bullfrog in your photo :]
Bullfrogs have huge long legs and large "circle-patches" behind or near their eyes.
And yes, they are great at playing dead.
Remember to wash your hands 'real good' after touching the bullfrog's "circle-patches".
This message was edited Jul 12, 2011 5:32 PM
Neener. It's my boyfriend.
