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Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name:
Lithobates pipiens
Type:
Amphibian
Habitat:
Streams, rivers, wetlands, and both natural and artificial bodies of water
Range:
United States and Canada from California to Maine and the Hudson Bay
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Northern leopard frogs are moderately-sized frogs that usually grow between 2 to 4.5 inches long. They get their name from the distinctive leopard-like spots on their bodies. These spots are darker than the rest of the frogs (which are brown, green, or yellow-green), and there is a halo of different coloring around the spots' circumference. Northern leopard frogs are best spotted in slow-moving or still bodies of water.
Fast Facts:
Northern leopard frogs can live up to 4 years of age.
These frogs' tadpoles are mainly herbivorous (meaning they feed on plants), but may also consume small invertebrates. Adult northern leopard frogs, on the other hand, exclusively consume small invertebrates.
Northern leopard frogs are currently threatened by habitat loss, disease, non-native species, pollution, and climate change. Well over a dozen states today are actively trying to protect these frogs.
Sources:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, Northern Leopard Frog, 2015, https://www.fws.gov/nevada/nv_species/nleopard_frog.html
IUCN Red List, Lithobates pipiens, 2004, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/58695/11814172
Image: Douglas Wilhelm Harder, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern_Leopard_Frog_(Lithobates_pipiens).jpg, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Ellen Wilson (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)