Northern leopard frog facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Northern leopard frog

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Lithobates
Species:	pipiens

The northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens or Rana pipiens) is a type of leopard frog. It belongs to the true frog family. These frogs live in parts of Canada and the United States. The northern leopard frog is the official state amphibian of Minnesota and Vermont.

What Does a Northern Leopard Frog Look Like?

Young northern leopard frog

Northern leopard frogs are quite large. They can grow to about 11 centimeters (4.3 inches) long. Their back, called the dorsal side, can be green or brown. They have big, dark, round spots on their back, sides, and legs. Each spot usually has a lighter ring around it.

Two raised lines, called dorsolateral folds, run down their back from behind their eyes. These lines are often lighter or sometimes pink. A pale stripe also goes from their nose, under their eye, and past their eardrum (tympanum) to their shoulder. Their belly, or ventral side, is white or light green. They have golden eyes and webbed toes.

Young northern leopard frogs, called Tadpoles, are dark brown or gray. They have light spots on their underside. Their tail is a pale tan color.

Cool Color Variations

Two burnsi morphs, a green morph, and a brown morph of the northern leopard frog

Brown morph northern leopard frog in a wood chip pile in Iowa

Northern leopard frogs come in different colors. The most common ones are green and brown. There's also a special color type called the "burnsi morph." Frogs with the burnsi morph don't have spots on their backs. However, they might still have spots on their legs. They can be bright green or brown and have yellow lines on their backs. Very rarely, these frogs can also be albino, meaning they lack color.

Where Northern Leopard Frogs Live

Near Welland Canal, Ontario

Northern leopard frogs live from Great Slave Lake and Hudson Bay in Canada. Their range goes south to Kentucky and New Mexico in the USA. They are also found in Panama. However, the frogs in Panama might be a different, unnamed species. They like to live in grasslands, by lakes, and in marshes.

These frogs can handle cold weather well. They can live in high places, even above 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) in the mountains.

Life Cycle and Reproduction

Northern leopard frogs breed in the spring, from March to June. A female frog can lay up to 6,500 eggs in the water. The tadpoles grow in the same pond where they hatched. Tadpoles are light brown with black spots. It takes them about 70 to 110 days to grow into small frogs, depending on the conditions. These young frogs are about 2 to 3 centimeters (0.8 to 1.2 inches) long and look like tiny adults.

What Northern Leopard Frogs Eat

These frogs eat many different small animals. Their diet includes crickets, flies, worms, and even smaller frogs. They have large mouths and can even swallow birds and garter snakes. Once, a bat was found as prey of this frog!

The northern leopard frog looks similar to the pickerel frog and the southern leopard frog.

Predators

Many animals hunt northern leopard frogs. These include snakes, raccoons, other frogs, and even humans. Northern leopard frogs don't have bad-tasting skin. So, they rely on their speed to get away from danger.

How Northern Leopard Frogs Help Science

Medical Research

Northern leopard frogs produce special substances in their eggs called ribonucleases. Scientists are studying these substances as possible medicines for cancer. One of these, called ranpirnase, is being tested to treat certain types of lung tumors. Another one, amphinase, might help treat brain tumors.

Understanding the Nervous System

Since the 1950s, northern leopard frogs have been important for learning about how nerve cells work. Scientists have used their nerve and muscle connections to understand how our nervous system sends messages.

Studying Muscles and Movement

Northern leopard frogs are also popular for studying how muscles work. Scientists can easily get their leg muscles, and these muscles stay alive for hours outside the frog. This helps researchers understand how the frog's muscles help it jump and swim.

Threats

Even though Northern Leopard Frogs are tough and adaptable, they are facing many difficulties that have caused their numbers to shrink in many areas. Scientists and conservationists have identified several big reasons why these spotted jumpers need our help.

Losing Their Homes (Habitat Loss)

This is one of the biggest problems. When towns and cities grow, wetlands are often drained and filled in to build houses, roads, and shopping centers. Farmers sometimes drain wetlands to create more land for crops or livestock.

Even if a wetland isn't completely destroyed, it can become unhealthy if polluted water flows into it.

When their homes are gone, frogs have nowhere to go, and they can't survive.

Homes Getting Chopped Up (Habitat Fragmentation)

Imagine your neighborhood park, but suddenly a big highway is built right through the middle of it. It would be hard to get from one side to the other, right? That's what habitat fragmentation is like for frogs. Their habitats aren't completely destroyed, but they get broken up into smaller, isolated pieces by roads, buildings, or farms. Frogs can't easily move between these smaller patches of habitat to find food, mates, or new places to live. When they try to cross roads or open fields, they are in danger from cars or predators. This makes it harder for different groups of frogs to connect and keep their populations healthy.

Pollution

Frogs have very sensitive skin that can easily absorb things from their environment. This means they are very vulnerable to pollution in the water and soil.

Pesticides and Herbicides: Chemicals used on farms to kill insects or weeds can wash into ponds and streams, harming frogs and their food sources.
Industrial Waste: Factories can sometimes release harmful chemicals into the environment.
Road Salt and Oil: Runoff from roads can carry salt, oil, and other pollutants into frog habitats, making the water toxic. Pollution can make frogs sick, prevent their eggs from hatching, or even kill them.

Disease

Just like people can get sick, frogs can too. One of the most serious diseases affecting frogs worldwide, including the Northern Leopard Frog, is caused by a tiny germ called the chytrid fungus. This fungus infects the frog's skin, making it hard for them to breathe and absorb water, which is vital for their survival. It can weaken frogs, making them more susceptible to other problems and sometimes even causing large numbers of frogs to die. Scientists are working hard to understand and fight this disease.

New Neighbors (Introduced Species)

Sometimes, animals that aren't naturally found in an area are brought in by people, either on purpose or by accident. These are called introduced or invasive species, and they can cause big problems for native animals like the Northern Leopard Frog.

For example, non-native fish or bullfrogs might be introduced into a pond and eat Northern Leopard Frog tadpoles or even adult frogs. They might also compete with the leopard frogs for food or space, making it harder for the native frogs to find what they need.

Changing Weather Patterns (Impacts of Climate Change)

While we don't predict the future, scientists have observed that changes in global weather patterns can affect Northern Leopard Frogs.

Changes in rainfall can lead to droughts, drying up ponds and wetlands where frogs live and lay eggs. Or, too much rain can cause floods that wash away eggs and tadpoles.

Warmer temperatures can affect when frogs breed, how fast tadpoles develop, and even how well they can fight off diseases. These changes can disrupt their delicate life cycle.

Conservation Efforts

The good news is that many dedicated people and organizations are working hard to help Northern Leopard Frogs. Conservation is a team effort, and every little bit helps. Here are some of the amazing ways we are trying to protect these spotted jumpers:

Protecting and Restoring Their Homes

This is a huge part of conservation. Governments and conservation groups are buying or setting aside land to protect existing wetlands, ponds, and meadows from being developed. Sometimes, old, unhealthy wetlands can be cleaned up and restored, or even entirely new wetlands can be built! This involves digging out areas, planting native plants, and making sure there's a good water supply. These restored habitats provide safe places for frogs to live and breed.

Creating "buffer zones" – areas of natural vegetation – around wetlands helps filter out pollution before it reaches the water and provides extra space for frogs.

Keeping an Eye on Them (Monitoring and Research)

Scientists regularly visit frog habitats to count how many frogs they see, listen to their calls, and look for eggs and tadpoles. This helps them understand if frog populations are growing, shrinking, or staying the same.

Researchers also study frog health, looking for signs of disease or pollution. They might take small, harmless samples to check for the chytrid fungus or other issues.

By studying where frogs live, what they eat, and how they behave, scientists can figure out exactly what these frogs need to survive and how best to help them.

Reducing Pollution

Efforts are being made to reduce the amount of pollution that reaches frog habitats. Farmers are encouraged to use fewer harmful chemicals and to create natural barriers that prevent runoff from reaching wetlands.

Improving how we treat wastewater before it's released helps protect aquatic environments. Volunteers organize clean-up days to remove trash and debris from natural areas, which can also be a source of pollution.

Working Together (Collaboration)

Conservation is a huge job, and it works best when everyone helps. Researchers share their findings with government agencies, which can then create laws and policies to protect frogs and their habitats. People living near frog habitats can volunteer their time, report frog sightings, and help maintain local conservation areas.

Because frogs don't recognize country borders, scientists and conservationists from different nations sometimes work together to protect species that live in many places.

Northern Leopard Frogs as Pets

Northern leopard frogs can be good pets for beginners. A 20-gallon tank is big enough for one frog. You can add a piece of wood that goes from the water to the land. This helps the frog move around and gives it a place to rest.

The bottom of the tank should have a mix of peat and moss, covered with orchid bark and sphagnum moss. This should be at least 2-3 inches deep so the frog can burrow. The water side can have smooth gravel. It's important to use only smooth gravel to protect the frog's skin.

Northern leopard frogs like temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (20-24 degrees Celsius). A slight temperature drop at night, down to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius), is good for them. Make sure the tank has a secure lid, preferably a mesh one for air. Frogs are very good at escaping!

You can feed northern leopard frogs crickets, mealworms, waxworms, or silkworms.

Fun Facts About Northern Leopard Frogs

Northern Leopard Frogs are incredible athletes! They can jump up to 20 times their own body length in a single leap.
Just like a human's fingerprints, no two Northern Leopard Frogs have exactly the same pattern of spots. Each one is unique!
They were named "leopard" frogs because their spotted pattern reminded early naturalists of the spots on a leopard.
Northern Leopard Frogs spend the winter at the bottom of ponds or lakes, where the water doesn't freeze solid, breathing through their skin!
They are both predators (eating insects) and prey (being eaten by birds, snakes, and other animals). This makes them a very important link in the food web, helping to keep their ecosystems balanced.