Pig frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pig frog |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Lithobates
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| Species: |
grylio
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The pig frog (Lithobates grylio) is a type of frog that lives mostly in water. You can find it in the southeastern parts of the United States, from South Carolina all the way to Texas. Some people also call it the lagoon frog or the southern bullfrog.
Contents
About the Pig Frog's Name
A scientist from Norway and America named Leonhard Stejneger first described the pig frog in 1901. He gave it its original name, which it still has today.
What Does a Pig Frog Look Like?
Pig frogs are usually green or grey-green. They have brown or black spots or blotches on their skin. Their feet are fully webbed, which helps them swim really well. They also have a pointy nose and big eardrums, called tympana.
It can be tricky to tell a pig frog apart from other frogs in the same group, Lithobates, like the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana). Pig frogs can grow to be about 3.25 to 5.5 inches (8.3 to 14 cm) long from their snout to their rear end. They are famous for making a loud, deep snorting sound that sounds a lot like a pig oinking!
Where Pig Frogs Live and What They Do
Pig frogs spend almost all their time in the water. You'll mostly find them near the edges of lakes, or in swamps and marshes that have lots of plants. They are nocturnal, which means they are most active at night. You can hear their pig-like grunts during the warmer months of the year, especially when they are looking for a mate.
What Pig Frogs Eat
Their favorite food is crayfish. But like most bullfrogs, pig frogs will eat almost anything they can fit into their mouths! This includes insects, fish, and even other frogs.
Pig Frog Reproduction and Life Cycle
Pig frogs usually breed from spring through the summer. The female frogs lay their eggs in huge groups, sometimes up to 10,000 eggs at once! These egg masses float on the surface of the water. The male pig frogs make their special pig-like grunting calls to attract females, which is how they got their common name.
Conservation Status of the Pig Frog
The pig frog is quite common where it lives and is not considered to be in danger. It has even been introduced to other places and now lives there, including China, Andros Island and New Providence Island in the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico.
Sometimes, farmers in China raise pig frogs, along with bullfrogs, for people to eat.
See also
In Spanish: Lithobates grylio para niños
