Species: Lithobates clamitans
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Green frogs are green, greenish brown, brown, or bronze (nearly black when cold), often with numerous dark spots or blotches. A straight ridge that extends along each side of the back begins behind the eye and ends on the back and does not extend to the groin. The hind legs are crossbanded when the legs are folded. In adlut males, the eardrum is much larger than the eye and the throat may be yellow. In adult females and juveniles the eardrum is about the same size as the eye. The webbing on the hind toes does not reach the tip of the 5th toe and barely extends past the second joint of the 5th toe. Maximum size is around 4.3 inches (10.8 cm) snout-vent length. The breeding call is a single croak or series of croaks; each croak sounds like a loose banjo string being plucked. The elongate larvae are olive-green with irregular dark marks (not sharply defined black spots) on the body; the tail is usually heavily dark mottled. The papillae around the mouth are large, somewhat flattened, and heavily pigmented. Larvae may grow as large as 4 inches (10 cm) long. Eggs are laid in masses of up to several thousand eggs, initially floating at the water surface and/or partially tangled in vegetation, later sinking.
Classification
Amphibia
Anura
Ranidae
Lithobates
NatureServe
Classification
Ecology and Life History
Green frogs are green, greenish brown, brown, or bronze (nearly black when cold), often with numerous dark spots or blotches. A straight ridge that extends along each side of the back begins behind the eye and ends on the back and does not extend to the groin. The hind legs are crossbanded when the legs are folded. In adlut males, the eardrum is much larger than the eye and the throat may be yellow. In adult females and juveniles the eardrum is about the same size as the eye. The webbing on the hind toes does not reach the tip of the 5th toe and barely extends past the second joint of the 5th toe. Maximum size is around 4.3 inches (10.8 cm) snout-vent length. The breeding call is a single croak or series of croaks; each croak sounds like a loose banjo string being plucked. The elongate larvae are olive-green with irregular dark marks (not sharply defined black spots) on the body; the tail is usually heavily dark mottled. The papillae around the mouth are large, somewhat flattened, and heavily pigmented. Larvae may grow as large as 4 inches (10 cm) long. Eggs are laid in masses of up to several thousand eggs, initially floating at the water surface and/or partially tangled in vegetation, later sinking.
Conservation Status
LC - Least concern