Northern leopard frog

Northern leopard frog
(𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝒑𝒊𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒔)
Status: Species of Special Concern in Maine 

Photo Credit:  Jessica Bolser/USFWS 

Facts:  Maine has 7 different species of frogs which can commonly be found in marshy areas near ponds, in streams, rivers and lakes. The northern leopard frog is a fairly large frog with a slender body, pointed snout and a light green to dark brown body color. They are one of two frogs (the other being their cousin the pickerel frog (Rana palustris)) that have distinct spots on their body. These two frogs look very similar, so make sure you look closely at the spot patterns to tell them apart. The northern leopard frog has two to three unevenly spaced rows of irregular oval spots on its back while the pickerel frog has two parallel rows of distinctive spots that are more squarish than oval.  

While you won’t see these frogs if you walked our trails right now, head outside in March and April as they are coming out of hibernation and listen for their mating calls. The northern leopard frog has a “snore-like” call, mixed with grunting and chuckling that can last anywhere from 1 to 5 seconds. These calls can be heard from spring to early summer as male frogs wait in stagnant water for females to arrive. Females can lay up to 6,500 eggs in the water at one time!   

What you can do:  The northern leopard frog is considered a species of special concern in Maine due to loss of wetlands, drought, pollution and introduction of invasive fish species that feed upon frogs. Please do not use lawn chemicals that can cause harmful runoff and encourage your municipality not to use road salt near streams and wetlands. 

 Sources:  https://hhltmaine.org/northern-leopard-frog/, https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Rana&where-species=pipiens&account=amphibiaweb, https://www.macalester.edu/ordway/biodiversity/inventory/leopardfrog/