Southern Leopard Frog

Rana sphenocephala

The southern leopard frog is an amphibian that varies in color from green to greenish brown. Adults have:

• Two or three rows of irregular dark spots between visible ridges that run down the back.
• A light-colored spot in the center of the eardrum, which is called the tympanum.
• A long, pointed head.
• White underparts.

Southern leopard frogs grow to about 5 inches.

Where does the southern leopard frog live?

Southern leopard frogs are found in streams, ponds, swamps and ditches in the eastern parts of Maryland and Virginia.

What does the southern leopard frog eat?

Southern leopard frogs mainly eat insects, as well as aquatic invertebrates like crayfish.

What does the southern leopard frog sound like?

The male southern leopard frog’s mating call is a series of guttural croaks, followed by a few trill-like clicks that sound similar to that of rubbing latex balloons together.

How does the southern leopard frog reproduce?

Southern leopard frogs breed in early spring.

• Males use their paired vocal sacs to call for a mate.
• After breeding, female leopard frogs lay clusters of several hundreds eggs that attach to the stems of underwater grasses.
• The eggs hatch after several weeks, and tadpoles take about three months to begin transforming into adult leopard frogs.

Other facts about the southern leopard frog:

• The southern leopard frog is the most common and widespread frog in Maryland and Virginia, found mostly in the Coastal Plain and into the Piedmont region.