Southern Leopard Frogs
are large, slender frogs, growing up to five inches long.
They are green and brown with large dark spots on their back
and sides.
Leopard frogs have
light-colored dorsolateral ridges (raised lines on their
backs). They also have a light stripe along their
jaw.
Southern Leopard Frogs
can be found just about anywhere there is shallow water,
including lakes, ponds, marshes,
and streams.
Denny Cannon, The Frogs
and Toads of Tennessee
Mark Moran
Leopard frogs are nocturnal,
so they are most active at night. During the day, they hide among
plants on the shore. If they are startled, they will leap into the
water, making a sharp turn underneath the surface. They will come
back up hidden among some plants.
The breeding
season for Southern Leopard Frogs is March to June. Female frogs will
lay egg masses of up to 4,000 eggs in shallow water. Usually they
attach to plant stems.
Tadpoles
hatch from the eggs and eat algae
and other small organisms
in the water, including small insect larvae
and water fleas. Tadpoles will transform to adult
frogs by late Spring or early Summer.
After mating, adult frogs will
wander away from the water, into woods or fields,
hiding among plants or under logs. As Summer ends, frogs return to
the water.
Adult Southern Leopard Frogs eat a
wide variety of prey,
including earthworms, spiders, centipedes, and many types of
insects.
Predators
of leopard frogs include Raccoons, Virginia Opossum, large fish,
snakes, turtles, larger frogs, and herons. Tadpoles and eggs are
especially vulnerable and may be eaten by insects, turtles, leeches,
fish, salamanders, or crayfish.
Southern Leopard Frogs can leap
several feet.
The picture below shows a young
leopard frog resting on the tail of a Common Snapping
Turtle.
Southern Leopard Frogs are raised
and eaten by humans. When you see "frog legs" on a menu, it is most
likely a Southern Leopard Frog. These frogs are also used in large
amounts in biology classes for dissecting. Scientists have become
concerned about too many frogs being used for this
purpose.
Southern Leopard Frogs are also
very important in the wild. They eat huge amounts of pesky and
dangerous insects, such as mosquitos.
