Species
Pig frog
Lithobates grylio
A big, bullfrog-like frog of southern swamps whose call sounds like grunting pigs.
Photo Anthony Batista (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 8 to 14 cm long
- Habitat
- Marshes, swamps, lakes and ponds with floating plants
- Diet
- Crayfish, insects and small fish
- In Georgia
- The southern Coastal Plain, including the Okefenokee
- Voice
- Deep, piglike grunts
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Large, green to olive with dark spots; pointed snout; webbing reaching the tip of the longest hind toe
- Told apart from
- American bullfrog, whose webbing does not reach the toe tip
- Where to look
- Among lily pads and floating vegetation
Behaviour
Pig frogs sit among floating plants and call with deep grunts on summer nights. They are almost entirely aquatic.
Why they matter
They are important predators and prey in southern swamps, eaten by alligators, herons and snakes.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Thousands in a floating film
Hatching — In a few days
Tadpoles — Large; take up to a year or more to change
Maturity — In two years
Lifespan — Several years
Calling — On summer nights
Living around people
- It is harmless and lives in open water.
Misconceptions
- Grunting in a swamp is wild pigs. It is often pig frogs.
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.
| 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 | Active on warm days | Active | Calling | Breeding | Breeding | Breeding | Young frogs | Active | Active | Active on warm days | Under water |
Where it lives
Recorded in 6 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
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