The Northern Leopard Frog is a medium-sized green or brown frog with distinctive dark spots ringed with paler "halos." The number and colour of spots is variable. The frogs have large hind legs with dark bars, pale underparts, and prominent dorsolateral ridges that are paler than the back. A white stripe runs along the upper jaw and back to the shoulder.
Ten Facts about Northern Leopard Frog
- They are about 11 centimeters (4.3 in) in length.
- Leopard frogs eat a variety of invertebrates such as crickets, wax worms, fly larvae, and earthworms.
- Average life span in the wild is 2 to 4 years.
- Their range is most of northern North America, except on the Pacific Coast.
- Rana pipiens live in a wide range of habitat, from open water and marshes to deserts and mountains.
- Adults feed largely on insects, but also slugs, snails, and smaller vertebrates such as chorus frogs.
- Breeding occurs in the water between March and June.
- The females release eggs while swimming and the male fertilizes the eggs.
- Each female lays up to 3,000 eggs, which hatch 10-20 days after fertilization.
- They reach sexual maturity in two or three years.
