Green Frog

Larvae: Green Frog tadpoles are large and plump. They are olive or brownish-green above with dark flecks on the back and on the upper and lower tail fin. The belly is white or cream below, and the intestine is not visible through the skin.

Eggs: Green Frog eggs are laid in a large, thin floating mass containing 1,00–1,500 eggs. The mass is usually attached to emergent or floating vegetation.

Distribution: Green Frogs are common to abundant in eastern North America, from Maine west to southern Ontario and south to eastern Texas. It is abundant in western New York and Pennsylvania.

Habitat: Ponds, lakes, streams, swamps, and other permanent or semi-permanent water bodies. Green frogs are more tolerant of sparsely-vegetated habitats than are Bullfrogs.

Ecology: Green Frogs spend most of their time around the water's edge, jumping in with a loud squeak when disturbed and burying themselves in the mud or hiding under submerged objects. They eat a variety of aquatic and terrestrial animals, including beetles, flies, butterflies, spiders, snails, and smaller frogs. Tadpoles eat algae and decaying organic matter.

Reproduction: Breeding occurs in May through August in almost any permanent body of water. Eggs are deposited in a manner similar to bullfrogs, but the masses tend to be smaller. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days. Early-hatching tadpoles transform in late summer, while late-hatching larvae overwinter and transform during the following summer. Newly transformed Green Frogs are about 3 cm long.

Voice: Two or three explosive notes, each of which resembles the plucking of a loose banjo string.