Northern Leopard Frog Rana pipiens By: Sara Scientific Classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Lissamphibia Order : Anura Family : Ranidae Genus : Rana Species : pipiens

Natural History

The Northern leopard frog is a vertebrate which places it in the Phylum Chordata, which means it has a backbone. The Northern leopard frog is also an amphibian. There are over 2,500 different species of amphibians. Amphibians are cold blooded animals that live both in and out of water.

When a tadpole, a Northern leopard frog has gills and lives completely under water. When this animal becomes an adult, it develops lungs so they can breathe oxygen through its mouth. They can absorb it through their skin as well, so they can live both in and out of water.

After breeding season they live mostly out of water and that is why they are sometimes called meadow frogs. The Northern leopard frog lays its eggs in the water. Females can lay over 3,000 eggs in a gooey sac.

Adults can live for about three years. The Northern leopard frog is very good at fleeing its enemies because of its long legs and the size and place of its eyes. They can jump very far and they know when you are coming because their eyes are on the top of their heads so they can see behind them. You have to be very quick to catch this amphibian!

Habitat

The Northern leopard frog is an amphibian, which means it lives both in the water and on land. Sometimes it is called a meadow frog because it hunts on land in lightly wooded areas. They are sometimes even found in deserts and mountains, wet meadows, grassy ponds, and lake edges.

But when not hunting, these frogs live in shallow ponds or streams. They also like fresh water springs and slow moving rivers. In short, Northern leopard frogs like to be in any form of fresh water that is calm and protected. They like warm wet weather and you would find them in any form of water after rain.

In the winter time the Northern leopard frog hibernates. They bury themselves into the mud under rocks or logs. After breeding season, which is in the spring, they tend to wander well away from water, up to two miles away, to go looking for food.

Present Status

The Northern leopard frog is a species of concern to the State of Maine.

Physical Description

This amphibian is called a leopard frog for obvious reasons: the pattern on its skin looks like the spots of a leopard. The number of spots can vary from 8 to 23. Each spot is surrounded by a pale ring. The Northern leopard frog has a pale belly with very long legs so they are very good jumpers. Their legs make up most of their body length. The general size of the Northern leopard frog is about five inches.

If you ever try to catch a Northern leopard frog you will realize it is very difficult because of their long legs and how far they can jump, and the fact that their eyes are on the top of their heads. That enables them to see behind them when a predator is near. They also have excellent camouflage because of their color so they have no problem catching their prey. Their skin is usually brown or green or a mix of the two.

Diet

The Northern leopard frog is a consumer which means it eats other organisms. It eats many different things. When a tadpole, they are herbivores, which is when they eat only plants (other known as producers) like algae and the soft tips of leaves . When fully-grown they become carnivores. These frogs eat large insects, worms, spiders, small fish and sometimes even small mice. Mostly they eat invertebrates and terrestrial creatures, which means their prey mostly lives on land.

Most of their food is found in meadows and fields. Sometimes they even eat small leopard frogs. They’ll eat almost anything they can catch.

Most other frogs use their tongues to bring in food, but the Northern leopard frog pounces. They wait for their prey to get near and then they ambush! They have great camouflage so they are not seen very easily next to mud and plants. The Northern leopard frog hunts mostly at night on land; that is why they are sometimes called meadow frogs, because they hunt on land. When not hunting they mostly live in water because their prey lives mostly on land.

Diversity is very important to the Northern leopard frog’s diet.

Causes of Endangerment

Scientists are pretty unsure about the cause of the decreasing number of Northern leopard frogs. There are many possibilities, both natural and man-made. Part of it might be humans’ fault, like pesticides, ultraviolet radiation, pollution, acid rain, global warming, and contamination of air, soil and water. Some natural causes might be sedimentation, change of temperature, predators in breeding areas, diseases, drought and frost. The cause is unknown, but these are all of the possible causes researchers have found so far.

Ways to help the Northern leopard frog and its condition (which is a species of concern) might just to be a little more environmentally conscious. Since no one really knows the specific cause, no one really knows what to do to make it all better. My personal advice is to be as careful as you can around the Northern leopard frog’s habitat.

This amphibian’s habitat is quite rapidly decreasing. Did you know that half of the world’s wetlands were destroyed in just the twentieth century? We are in the twenty-first century now and you can just imagine how much we have lost so far. There is so much pollution these days. When it is dumped into the water it decreases the amount of oxygen in the water and kills the plants and animals who live there. Nowadays there is a lot more help for the wetlands but that doesn’t change the fact that we are losing many homes for a lot of animals.

Personal Essay

How does diversity strengthen an ecosystem?

Diversity is very important to an ecosystem. It all has to do with the food chain.

If an animal eats only one kind of plant and that plant dies then there is a problem. When the plant disappears the animal would have nothing else to eat and that animal would eventually die. That animal’s predator would end up dying too, because there is no diversity and the predator relies on it to live.

But if that animal has alternatives it has no problem, because it has other choices of prey. That is the beauty of diversity!

Take the Northern leopard frog for example. It basically eats everything it can catch so it has no problem surviving. Anyway, if one animal eats many different animals it is healthier because different foods have different nutrients. So it has a healthy diet. We humans need protein and vitamins and all that good stuff. I think diversity is very helpful to all ecosystems.

For example, if I went to the grocery store and I needed some food and there was no more carrots or broccoli and they only sold asparagus I would be in trouble. You see I despise asparagus and it makes me gag, so if I didn’t have any other choices other than asparagus then I would eventually die of starvation. But because of diversity I would be okay because if carrots and broccoli became extinct I would have to adapt to asparagus. If there wasn’t diversity I would have absolutely nothing to adapt to and I would die. But diversity gives you choices to survive!

Bibliography

1. Tyning, Thomas F. Strokes Nature Guides, a guide to Amphibians and Reptiles. Canada: Little, Brown + Company. 1990

2. Nova Scotia Frogs.http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/frogs/north.htm.(4-10-03)

3. Iowa Hepetology. http://www.herpnet/Iowa-Herpetology/amphibians/frogs_toads/N.leopardfrog.html.(4-10-03)

4. Sustainable Resource Developement. May 30, 2002.http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/amphib/nlf.html. (4-10-03)

5. Data Layers. August 22,2001.http://www.wle.umaine.edu/temp_unit/gap/layers/.(4-10-03)

6. http://www.richland.uwc.edu/depts/biology/accounts/leopardfrog.htm(4-10-03)