Episode 63: American Bullfrog – Voice of the Wild

This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”

The best known of our frogs is also the largest in North America, up to six inches from head to rear. This big frog lives in the permanent water of lakes and deep ponds. They lay eggs there…which will hatch into tadpoles that overwinter and grow into adults in the second year. Their call can be heard much later than most other frogs, all the way through august. This is the American bullfrog.

At least when silent, the bullfrog’s size is its most telling feature; much larger than any of the competition, but if you find a younger one that isn’t quite full size, it could be confused for a green frog. In this case, look for a ridge on the side of the head. In the bullfrog this dorsolateral ridge wraps around the tympanum, or ear drum. In the green frog, it runs straight down either side of the back. Here’s the American bullfrog again.

Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW