Lithobates clamitans

Green frogs are green, greenish brown, brown, or bronze (nearly black when cold), often with numerous dark spots or blotches. A straight ridge that extends along each side of the back begins behind the eye and ends on the back and does not extend to the groin. The hind legs are crossbanded when the legs are folded. In adlut males, the eardrum is much larger than the eye and the throat may be yellow. In adult females and juveniles the eardrum is about the same size as the eye. The webbing on the hind toes does not reach the tip of the 5th toe and barely extends past the second joint of the 5th toe. Maximum size is around 4.3 inches (10.8 cm) snout-vent length. The breeding call is a single croak or series of croaks; each croak sounds like a loose banjo string being plucked. The elongate larvae are olive-green with irregular dark marks (not sharply defined black spots) on the body; the tail is usually heavily dark mottled. The papillae around the mouth are large, somewhat flattened, and heavily pigmented. Larvae may grow as large as 4 inches (10 cm) long. Eggs are laid in masses of up to several thousand eggs, initially floating at the water surface and/or partially tangled in vegetation, later sinking.

Green frogs inhabit virtually any body of permanent or semipermanent water, as well as vernal pools, and juveniles regularly use nearby small temporary pools and puddles. Individuals may disperse from water in wet weather, especially at night. In winter, they shelter under objects on land, underground, or in water. Many overwinter in flowing water of small streams. Wintering sites may be in breeding areas or commonly several hundred meters away. Breeding sites are in shallow, slow- or nonflowing water.

See Hecnar and M'Closkey (1997) for information on the dynamics of populations in 160 ponds in Ontario.

When approached along the edge of a pond, green frogs often leap into the water while emitting a loud squeenk call. Usually they soon return to shore and then often allow close approach if one moves slowly.

Breeding occurs in spring or summer. In the north, males call mainly in late spring and early summer (mostly May to August). In the south, breeding may occur as early as March. Adult females deposit 1-2 clutches of up to several thousand eggs. Larvae emerge from jelly in 3-7 days. In the south, larvae from early clutches may metamorphose in a few months, larvae from late clutches overwinter before metamorphosing, as do most larvae in the northern part of the range.