The bullfrog is most common in the Southern part of the United States. They are known for their large size, throaty call and their extraordinary leaping ability. Bullfrogs can grow to be six inches in length, but when they stretch out their legs this adds another seven to ten inches in length. They can also jump up to six feet away!



The frog's calls are heard throughout the summer when they are mating. The male makes a call to get females and then the females respond with another call. Sometimes you may see two males fighting because they are very territorial. The frogs are not seen in the winter because they are hibernating.

If you want to keep these frogs, it is best if they have a shallow pool that they can get in and out of very easily. Try not to use tap water in the pool because it has chlorine in it, which could hurt them. Tadpoles are especially sensitive to this. To get rid of the chlorine in your water, either filter it or let it sit out for two weeks. Frogs like the water to be around eighty degrees. Only fill the pool so that the depth covers the frogs half way. You should also put pebbles or stones on the bottom.

If you keep Bullfrogs in captivity, you can feed them all kinds of insects, baby mice and feeder fish. Be careful if you are going to keep more than one frog together, because they will usually eat anything that is smaller than them, including other frogs.

When the female bullfrog lays eggs, she can lay up to 20,000 eggs at once. These eggs will then become tadpoles. The tadpole stage lasts between six months and two years, depending on the weather. When the eggs first hatch, the babies cannot swim so they just cling to plants. Very soon they begin to develop hind legs. Once these legs are fully-grown, they use them to swim and push through the water. The tadpole continues to develop into a frog by having skin grow over the gills, having lungs develop, having front legs grow and having the tail disappear.

If you want to take care of tadpoles, you should keep them in an aquarium. The water in the tank should be filtered. Don't put any fish in the aquarium with the tadpoles because they might hurt them. It is best if you only put between two and four tadpoles in a tank together. They will swim together and are very active if kept in small groups. Tadpoles can be fed pellets, flake food, water plants and algae. When they get bigger you can also feed them bloodworms.

It is so amazing the way a frog changes from an underwater creature to a land creature. They are very fascinating and fun to see in the wild. Fortunately, laws have been passed to regulate how many frogs can be caught and eaten. Hopefully this will help build their population back up.