Northern Leopard Frog

Lithobates pipiens
Range: Northern and Western United States and
Canada

Habitat: Ponds, Lakes, and Streams

Diet: These frogs feed on invertebrates, small

reptiles, fish, small birds, frogs, and small
mammals.

Lifespan: They can live to be at least 7 years in captivity.

Description: This frog is mostly greenish brown in color, with brown spots. The brown
spots have black rings around them and their spots are more rounded, unlike the square
spots of the pickerel frog. They grow between 1 and 4” in length with females are larger than
males.

Breeding: Males call to attract a mate starting in late spring and lasting until early to mid-
summer. Females lay 3,000-4,000 eggs attached to vegetation in permanent bodies of water.

Behavior/Adaptations: In winter, they hibernate at the bottom of permanent bodies of

water under the mud or in dense vegetation near ponds and lakes. These frogs are mainly
aquatic and are rarely found away from the water’s edge.

Predators: Birds, snakes, lizards, raccoons, skunks, etc.

Conservation: Their populations have steadily declined in the Western part of their range
(including in Minnesota) due to a number of factors including, collection for laboratories and
restaurants and habitat loss. It is considered least concern by the IUCN. They are considered
a bio-indicator along with other amphibians due to their susceptibility to environmental
toxins that can be easily absorbed through their permeable skin.

Call: Their call sounds like a person rubbing their fingers over a balloon.

Information taken from the following sources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/n/northern-leopard-frog/
https://www.fws.gov/nevada/nv_species/nleopard_frog.html