by Jordyn E Pimental
As summer slowly dims, with the weather cooling and the fall semester beginning, there is one last matter of the hotter months that may be explored: the critters. Summertime is an abundant season for many different birds and animals, and before delving into the creatures that autumn will bring I wanted to investigate one amphibian in particular that is often seen in the little creeks, ponds, and bogs surrounding Cape Cod Community College during the heat. Consider this a warm welcome back to Campus Critter Spotlight as we examine the largest frog in North America, the American Bullfrog.
The Basics
Weighing up to a pound, and reaching up to 8’’ in length, these frogs are surprisingly still only the eighth largest in the world but will be the largest you can find here around campus. According to the Forest Preserve of Cook County, an Illinois-based preservation society, these massive frogs can jump up to 10 times their body length, this is like the average human male jumping over three giraffes stacked on top of each other! These frogs are omnivores; the National Aquarium informs that they will eat anything from insects, worms, crayfish, small turtles, other frogs, and even small mammals or birds.
Mating and Offspring
During late spring and early summer, you may hear the bullfrog’s distinctive mating call, a deep bellow. The male bullfrogs may become aggressive during this time and The Forest Preserve of Cook County states that females may lay over 20,000 eggs. I’ve witnessed these enormous blooms of recently hatched tadpoles, and more of them than I could count take up the entirety of a pond’s shoreline; it is extremely interesting to view. Sadly, these frog eggs and later tadpoles have many predators, including water insects, fish, other bullfrogs, snakes, birds, and mammals, just to name a few.
Population
As noted by the National Aquarium, American bullfrogs are declining as a species. Interestingly, in certain places like California, where these frogs are not native, their populations are skyrocketing; however, here on the East Coast, they are being driven to extinction due to predators and competition for resources. Introduce environmentally conscious actions to your daily life and make the most sustainable choices you can to help the beautiful American bullfrog and other threatened species.