Northern leopard frog - Rana pipiens
Size: 2 - 3 1/2 inches (5.1-9 cm)
Voice: A long, deep snore lasting several seconds and ending with a chuckling (chuck-chuck-chuck).
Identification: Brown or green with two or three rows of irregularly spaced dark spots. Spots are rounded and have light borders. Dorsolateral folds are present. There are two color mutations of the leopard frog in Minnesota: the Burn's leopard frog which lacks spots, and the Kandiyohi leopard frog which has flecking between spots.
Life stages: Females can lay more than 6,000 eggs which may vary from submerged egg masses in northern populations to a surface film of eggs in southern populations. The black eggs are attached to aquatic vegetation. Eggs hatch in 13?20 days and transform in 70?100 days. Sexual maturity is reached within two to four years.
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Range map for Northern leopard frogs.
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Breeding habitat: Marshes, wetlands, and fishless ponds.
Summer habitat: A frog frequently found in grasslands, wet meadows, and forest edges. During the summer they may travel one to two miles from water.
Winter habitat: Aquatic.
Photo: ©A.B. Sheldon.
