Species

Pickerel frog

Lithobates palustris

A frog of cool streams and springs, marked with square spots, whose skin secretions deter predators.

Photo skitterbug (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Adaptation

At a glance

Size: About 4.5 to 8 cm long
Habitat: Cool streams, springs, seeps, bogs and ponds
Diet: Insects and spiders
In Georgia: The mountains, Piedmont and scattered in the Coastal Plain
Voice: A low, rattling snore
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Tan with two rows of squarish dark spots down the back; bright yellow or orange under the hind legs
Told apart from: Southern leopard frog, which has round spots and no yellow under the legs
Where to look: At the edges of cool streams and springs

Behaviour

Pickerel frogs give off a skin secretion that many predators find distasteful and that can kill other frogs kept with them. They spend summers in wet meadows and return to water in autumn.

Why they matter

They are part of the cool-water community of seeps and springs, and are eaten by the few predators that tolerate their secretions.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Eggs — Clusters of up to a few thousand
Hatching — In one to three weeks
Tadpoles — Change into frogs in about 3 months
Maturity — In two years
Lifespan — Several years
Calling — In late winter and spring

Living around people

Wash hands after handling one; its secretions irritate skin and eyes.

Misconceptions

All spotted frogs are leopard frogs. Look for square spots and yellow under the legs.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Under water	Breeding in mild spells	Breeding	Breeding	Young frogs	Active in wet meadows	Active	Active	Active	Returning to water	Under water	Under water

Where it lives

Recorded in 38 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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