Bullfrog in Duckweed pond
I learned an important identification tip this morning in processing this image. I wasn’t quite sure whether this is a Green Frog or a Bullfrog. I have a number of ID books on frogs, but the first one I turned to wasn’t very good in giving the key hint to telling them apart. I am glad I went further and turned to the net. I came across this nice site by Nick Scobel on Michigan’s Frog’s and Toads. He gave me the key tip. Look at the skin fold / ridge that extends from the eye going behind the eardrum.
If it continues down the frog’s back, it is a Green Frog (and also anatomically called a dorsolateral fold.) If it wraps around the eardrum, like on the frog here, it is a Bullfrog. It seems glaringly obvious to me now, and a tip I will not likely forget. So thanks Nick.
I particularly liked the way early morning sunlight is illuminating the frog here, without any harsh shadows. It makes this image a bit different from some some of my others. This female frog was in a pond near a pathway with a lot of human traffic. So she wasn’t startled easily. (You tell male from female by the size of their eardrum in relation to their eyes : Female – about the same size / Male = eardrum is a lot larger than the eye. This one I knew! 🙂 ) Even the frogs in the pond in my own backyard require a very slow and cautious approach, or they dive immediately.
I am definitely anxious for the spring photo opportunities that are upon us now. The sounds of the frogs should filling the evenings soon, which is music to my ears.
David, Greg, Sharon – thank you.
Sharon – it is a plugin I added a little while back that allows people to highlight their last blog post and link back to it. It selects it by default, if you don’t want it, you just need to uncheck the box when you comment. I am glad you linked to it! That is really interesting.
Oh…I didn’t mean to include my blog post in there. Not sure how that happened…
This really is a pretty photograph, Mark. I like this quite a bit.
Sharon
Beautiful image, and a helpful bit of natural history here. One of the things I like about most photographers, yourself included, is that they really put a lot of effort into correct identification of species, whether its animal or plant.
And, I agree…bring on spring!
I too enjoyed the frog lesson and like how the Frog’s “camo” is the same color as its surroundings. Makes a fun and interesting photo.
Hey folks, thanks a lot. Sorry for the late response here, I have been a bit backed up with print orders this week.
Earl – we are supposed to hit 80 by some predictions tomorrow! That’s craaaaaaaazaaaay.
Monte, Anita – sure, anytime, glad to spread the ID info … next topic – astrophysics? 🙂
Ken, thanks.
Mark, the lighting is wonderful and really makes the bullfrog “stand out” where in other situations it’s “camouflaging” would tend to make it blend in. What did we do before the Internet? I can’t count how many times I’ve used it to identify something I’ve taken a photos of. Books don’t support keyword search or image search very well.
I’m not sure we’re going to have a spring this year…it’s to be in the low 80’s here on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
I learned everything I know about frogs in this post. 🙂 I love the photo. The light is, as usual for you, beautifully captured. We can hear frogs singing from across the way. There is a narrowing of our valley behind our place and a low spot that attracts the frogs. Periodically we find one on our patio.
I’m with you, Mark. Bring on this Spring season. Well I learned a few things from your this morning about frogs.
The photo is almost surreal with the frog and background in such similar colors, Mark, but an excellent nature shot nonetheless.