Not a snake (Green Frog)
Lithobates clamitans • Not applicable - This is an amphibian belonging to the Order Anura, Family Ranidae, Genus Lithobates, Species L. clamitans.
Eastern and central North America, ranging from southeastern Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Look up Not a snake (Green Frog) in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Not applicable - This is an amphibian belonging to the Order Anura, Family Ranidae, Genus Lithobates, Species L. clamitans.
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face threats from habitat loss, pollution, and chytrid fungus.
Physical Description
Bright green head and lips, brownish-olive body dorsum, smooth moist skin, prominent dorsolateral folds, large tympanum behind the eye, and powerful hind legs adapted for leaping.
Size & Dimensions
Body length typically ranges from 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) from snout to vent.
Habitat
Found near the edges of permanent bodies of fresh water such as swamps, ponds, lakes, and streams with abundant vegetation.
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous diet consisting of a wide variety of invertebrates including insects, spiders, worms, and occasionally small vertebrates like other frogs or small fish, captured via an active sit-and-wait ambush strategy using a sticky, projectile tongue.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that breeds from late spring through late summer, laying large egg masses containing up to several thousand eggs attached to submerged vegetation.
Look-alikes
Often confused with the American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), which can be distinguished by the presence of dorsolateral folds extending all the way down the back in the green frog, whereas bullfrogs lack dorsolateral folds running past the tympanum.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face threats from habitat loss, pollution, and chytrid fungus.
Cultural Significance
Serves as an important bioindicator of wetland ecosystem health due to their permeable skin and complex life cycle, and plays a vital role in aquatic and terrestrial food webs.
Notable Features
Features a distinctive call that sounds remarkably like a loose banjo string being plucked, and possesses the ability to respire through its skin while submerged in water.