Bronze frog

Bronze frog (Rana clamitans clamitans) is a subspecies to the Rana clamitans that lives in the southeastern region of North America.

Contents 1 Description 2 Behavior 3 Distribution 4 Habitat 5 Diet 6 Breeding 7 External links

Description

The bronze frog grows up to 2 to 4 inches (5.4 to 10.2 cm). Distinguishing characteristics include a bronze to brownish body, white belly with dark, irregular blotches, and a bright green upper lip and nose. Males may have yellowish throats. Bronze frogs are smooth skinned, like all true frogs. They have long hind legs with webbed toes. A fold of skin, called a lateral line, begins behind the eye and runs two-thirds the length of body. The tympanum (ear disc) is larger in males.

Behavior

Bronze frogs are nocturnal and solitary. They remain under cover, in logs and crevices, most of the time. Male bronze frogs court females with a distinct call. Researchers agree that the love song of the bronze frog sounds like someone plucking a loose banjo string. Named for its body color, the bronze frog is a secretive species, hiding under vegetation near ponds, creeks and rivers. It may be difficult to find until warm, humid evenings when its mating call is heard. Colloquially referred to as the "banjo frog," the primary breeding call is an explosive "clunk," or "cloink" frequently repeated several times in succession, but less powerfully each time. Like many species of frog, the males voice an aggressive call when concentrations of these frogs are high in breeding areas. This call is a quick harsh spitting sound that sometimes precedes an attack on a competitor.

Distribution

Bronze frogs are found in the southeastern portion of the United States, from North Carolina to the eastern third of Texas.

Habitat

Bronze frogs prefer shallow streams, ponds, marshes, springs, bayous and bald cypress swamps with plenty of vegetation. They are active both day and night.

Diet

Bronze frogs eat a variety of verterbates and arthropods. They eat flies, crickets, fish, small snakes, crayfish, tadpoles, and other frogs.

Breeding

It reaches sexual maturity in the first full summer after metamorphosis. Breeding season begins in early spring and lasts through the summer. Females lay 2,000 – 4,000 eggs in small masses attached to underwater vegetation. Eggs are 1.5 mm when laid, but grow to 6 mm as cells divide. Incubation is 1 – 2 weeks. Tadpoles are green with small, dark spots. They grow 1.0 – 1.5 inches (28 – 33 mm) before they metamorphose (change from tadpoles to frogs). Bronze frogs live 7 to 10 years.

External links

• State of Texas on Bronze Frog
• US Geological Survey