Pickerel Frog

Lithobates palustris

The Pickerel Frog is a beautiful amphibian with yellow spots on its brown skin. It loves to live near water and can often be found hopping around in wetlands and ponds.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Pickerel Frog is light brown or tan with distinctive, often rectangular, dark spots arranged in two rows down its back. Its smooth skin also features bright yellow-orange coloration on the inner thighs, making it visually distinct from other spotted frogs.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAmphibiaOrderAnuraFamilyRanidaeGenusLithobates

Pickerel Frog

Interesting facts

Pickerel Frogs hibernate underwater during winter, often buried in soft mud.

The name "pickerel" comes from their spots, which resemble a type of fish.

Their skin produces a mild, bad-tasting toxin that deters most predators.

They can stay completely submerged underwater for several minutes!

Special abilities

Pickerel Frog can blend into its habitat thanks to its brown color and rectangular spots, helping it hide from danger.

Pickerel Frog has powerful hind legs that allow it to make quick, long jumps for escaping predators or catching prey.

Measurements & details

Length: 4.4-7.6 cm
Weight: 0.005-0.02 kg
Lifespan: 2-5 years
Top Speed: 3 km/h
Clutch Size: 2000-3000
Metamorphosis: 60-90 days

Diet & Feeding

Pickerel Frogs are insectivores, snatching insects and other small critters with their sticky tongue.

Age differences: Tadpoles eat algae; adult frogs are insectivores, hunting small invertebrates.

Primary Foods

flies
beetles
ants
spiders
slugs

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

eaten by

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

A common snake predator of these frogs.

eaten by

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

Opportunistic predator, especially near water.

eaten by

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Wading bird that preys on frogs in water.

Traits

Spotted

Marked with spots or patches of a different color.

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Thermoregulating

Thermoregulating organisms maintain a stable internal body temperature despite fluctuations in the external environment.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.