The Green Frog is a "Frog's Frog". It's the picture that comes to mind when one mentions the word "frog".
They frequent a variety of bodies of water, from vernal pools to lakes, although their eggs are most often laid in permanent bodies of water. This is important as the tadpoles can take up to two years to develop.
The most reliable way to seperate the Green Frog from the similar-looking Bullfrog, is to look at the dorsal-lateral ridges. These are the thin, raised ridges that run along the upper sides of the frog. In the Green Frogs, they run all the way down the sides and to the legs. In the Bullfrogs, they wrap around the ear (tympanum) and do not continue down the sides. One might think that the larger size of the Bullfrog is a reliable way to tell the difference, but Bullfrogs don't start out full-sized, and a young Bullfrog can be smaller than an older Green Frog.
Like most "true frogs", the Greens hibernate under water. The emerge in the early spring but do not begin to call in our area until late April/early May. The call has been likened to the sound of a plucked banjo string. I have found that you can get them to respond if you imitate their call!
The Bullfrog is our largest frog. They inhabitat ponds and lakes where they very often become the kings and queens of their domain.
These large amphibians have been known to eat everything from small birds to other frogs.
Their tadpoles grow very large and can reach the size of a small egg. They can sometimes take up to three years to develop. The eggs are laid by the thousands in a thin sheet on the surface of the water.
Read the Green Frog account to learn how to tell it from a Bullfrog. To determine if either of those species is a male or female, have a look at the ears, or tympanic membranes. These are the large discs located behind the eyes. If the disc is larger than the eye, it is a male. If it is the same size or smaller, it's a female. One way to remember is MALE - "Males Are Large Eared". You can also look at the throats. In the males they are yellow, in the females, white. This also goes for the Green Frogs.
Bullfrogs hibernate under the water and emerge in the spring. Their call, the deep, basso "JUG-O-RUM" can be heard from a great distance into the late summer.
