Bullfrog
(rana catesbeiana) is the largest frog in North America, sometimes growing as long as 8 inches. Usually dull green with brown spots, bullfrogs blend in perfectly with their habitat and can be very hard to spot, even when you’re looking right at them. Male bullfrogs have a yellow throat, while females’ are white.
Equally adept on land or in water, these amphibians can be found in many lakes and ponds throughout Maine. Listen for their distinctive throaty calls beginning at dusk.
Mating season is usually late April, depending on the year. The females large numbers of eggs in mats that float on the water surface. Tadpoles begin to change to frogs in mid-June, and can take up to three years to mature.
They eat insects, crayfish, minnows, and just about whatever else they can catch. Some large bullfrogs have been known to even eat small birds.