| Pig frog | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Lithobates |
| Species: | L. grylio |
| Binomial name | |
| Lithobates grylio Stejneger, 1901 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The pig frog (Lithobates grylio) [2] is a species of aquatic frog found in the Southeastern United States, from South Carolina to Texas. Some sources also refer to it as the lagoon frog or the southern bullfrog.
Pig frogs (Lithobates grylio) are a species of frog that belong to the class Amphibia, the order Anura, the family Ranidae, and the genus Lithobates. They are part of the phylum Chordata, which includes animals with a notochord and a hollow nerve cord. Pig frogs are vertebrates, meaning they have a backbone, and they are tetrapods, meaning they have four limbs. They are adapted to living both on land and in water, and they are commonly found in the southeastern United States. Norwegian-American naturalist Leonhard Stejneger described the pig frog in 1901, and it still bears its original name. The name comes from the calls the frog makes, sounding like a pig grunting. [3]
The pig frog is green or grey-green in color, with brown or black blotching. It has fully webbed feet, a sharply pointed nose, and large tympana (eardrums). The Pig frog is sexually dimorphic in size and coloration, the males also have a larger tympanum than the females. It is easily mistaken for various other species of the genus Lithobates , with which it shares its geographic range, including the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana). Pig frogs grow to a snout to vent length (SVL) of 85 to 140 millimetres (3+1⁄4 to 5+1⁄2 inches). They are known for their loud, deep grunting or snorting sound, reminiscent to the oinking sound of a pig.
Almost entirely aquatic, they are found predominantly on the edges of lakes, or in cypress swamps and marshes that are heavy with vegetation. They are nocturnal. Their pig-like grunts can be heard during the warm months of the year.
Pig frogs are opportunistic feeders and will eat a wide variety of prey, including insects, worms, and small vertebrates. Their primary diet is crawfish, but like most bullfrogs, they will consume almost anything they can swallow, including insects, fish, and other frogs. They are known to feed on beetles, dragonflies, crayfish, and other aquatic invertebrates, and may also occasionally eat fishes and amphibians. They are nocturnal animals and are usually found near water, where they use their strong legs to leap and catch prey. Pig frogs are important members of their ecosystem, helping to control the populations of the insects and other small animals that they eat. They play a vital role in maintaining the balance of their wetland habitats. The percentage of Pig frogs' prey items varies throughout the year, most likely due to the availability of resources. [4]
They breed from April to August, laying their eggs in large surface films, usually over vegetation. The eggs hatch in several days, and the tadpoles may take a year to transform into adult frogs. Pig frogs are sexually dimorphic, with males and females having similar growth rates until the snout-vent length reaches about 100mm, at which point females grow faster and eventually reach a larger size than males. Due to their larger size as adults, females tend to have higher survivability rates than males. Therefore, they are likely to be more abundant in the wild. [5] Males have a bright yellow throat, which is a distinctive characteristic that helps to distinguish them from females. During the breeding season, males produce a low grunting sound to attract females and establish their territory. This species gets its common name from the call males use, which sounds somewhat like a pig's grunt. Fertilization is external, with males releasing sperm over the eggs as they are laid. Eggs are laid in large masses of up to 10,000 at a time on the surface of the water. [6]
The pig frog holds no particular conservation status and is relatively common in its range. The species has been introduced and established itself in China, Andros Island and New Providence Island in the Bahamas, as well as Puerto Rico.
Pig frogs have been reported to be raised for food by Chinese farmers, along with bullfrogs. [7]
The American bullfrog, often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and lakes. Bullfrogs can also be found in manmade habitats such as pools, koi ponds, canals, ditches and culverts. The bullfrog gets its name from the sound the male makes during the breeding season, which sounds similar to a bull bellowing. The bullfrog is large and is commonly eaten throughout its range, especially in the southern United States where they are plentiful.
Leopard frog is a generic name used to refer to various species in the true frog genus Lithobates. They all have similar coloration: brown or green with spots that form a leopard pattern. They are distinguished by their distribution and behavioral, morphological, and genetic differences. The range of the various species of leopard frogs extends from the Hudson Bay in Canada, throughout the United States, throughout Mexico and other parts of Central America, and possibly the very northern section of South America.
Lithobates pipiens formerly Rana pipiens, commonly known as the northern leopard frog, is a species of leopard frog from the true frog family, native to parts of Canada and the United States. It is the state amphibian of Minnesota and Vermont.
Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica, commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several notable disjunct populations including lowland eastern North Carolina. The wood frog has garnered attention from biologists because of its freeze tolerance, relatively great degree of terrestrialism, interesting habitat associations, and relatively long-range movements.
Rana is a genus of frogs commonly known as the Holarctic true frogs, pond frogs or brown frogs. Members of this genus are found through much of Eurasia and western North America. Many other genera were formerly included here. These true frogs are usually largish species characterized by their slim waists and wrinkled skin; many have thin ridges running along their backs, but they generally lack "warts" as in typical toads. They are excellent jumpers due to their long, slender legs. The typical webbing found on their hind feet allows for easy movement through water. Coloration is mostly greens and browns above, with darker and yellowish spots.
The mink frog is a small species of frog native to the United States and Canada. They are so named for their scent, which reportedly smells like a mink. The scent is more akin to that of rotting onions to those unfamiliar with mink. It is also sometimes referred to as the north frog.
Lithobates sphenocephalus or Rana sphenocephala, commonly known as the southern leopard frog, is a medium-sized anuran in the family Ranidae. It is native to eastern North America from Kansas to New York to Florida. It is also an introduced species in some areas. This species lives in cool, clear water in the north, whereas in the south it occurs in warmer turbid and murky waters of coastal and floodplain swamps, twilight zones of caves, and abandoned mines.
The northern red-legged frog is a species of amphibian whose range is the coastal region stretching from southwest British Columbia to southern Mendocino County in Northern California, and is protected in Oregon and California. As a member of the genus Rana, this species is considered a true frog, with characteristic smooth skin and a narrow waist. This frog requires still waters for breeding, and is rarely found at any great distance from its breeding ponds or marshes.
Lithobates is a genus of true frogs, of the family Ranidae. The name is derived from litho- (stone) and the Greek bates, meaning one that treads on rock, or rock climber.
The Oregon spotted frog is a member of the frog family Ranidae of order Anura. It is a medium-sized aquatic frog endemic to the Pacific Northwest and historically well distributed in the Puget Trough/Willamette Valley province and the Cascade Mountains of south-central Washington and Oregon. It is relatively rare within its range and is listed globally as vulnerable.
The gopher frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, endemic to the south-eastern United States. It primarily inhabits the threatened sandhill communities, flatwoods, and scrub in the Atlantic coastal plain, where it is usually found near ponds.
The river frog is a species of aquatic frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States. Its natural habitats are temperate rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Maya Mountains frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae found in Belize and possibly Guatemala. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and rivers. This anuran is found primarily in the Mayan Mountain region between 100m and 915m of elevation.
The Guatemala plateau frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It occurs in Guatemala and southern Mexico. It is impossible to morphologically distinguish this species from Lithobates forreri and Lithobates brownorum, and the validity of it has been questioned. It is an uncommon frog that inhabits cloud forests, including degraded forest, and grassland. Breeding takes place in streams and small temporary ponds. It is threatened by habitat degradation caused by agricultural encroachment, wood extraction, human settlement, and water pollution.
The smooth-backed frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to Mexico.
The showy leopard frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to Mexico.
Vaillant's frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae found in Central America. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, rural gardens, heavily degraded former forests, water storage areas, ponds, and canals and ditches.
The carpenter frog is a species of true frog found on coastal plain of the Atlantic coast of the United States between central New Jersey and northeastern Florida.
The lowland leopard frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae that is found in Mexico and the United States.
Lithobates clamitans or Rana clamitans, commonly known as the green frog, is a species of frog native to eastern North America. The two subspecies are the bronze frog and the northern green frog.
Media related to Lithobates grylio at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Pig frog at Wikispecies