Pig Frog - Rana grylio
Pig Grunt
Description & Identification:
Large, reaching 6" (15cm). Coloration and pattern is variable; generally, olive green to brown with scattered dark spots; dorsum of adults is brownish to gray while the sides of juveniles have a bronze or coppery cast and with faint dark spots; underside is cream to pale yellow, netted with a dark brownish pattern; ventral mottling may be moderate in the throat area yet heavy in area of the hind legs; snout is narrow and pointed; no dorsolateral ridges present; webbing of hind toes extend to tip of longest toe. Skin is smooth.
Development:
Eggs are black above and white below; more than 8,000 may be deposited per mass, laid on the surface in emergent vegetation away from the shore; hatch in 2-3 days. Tadpoles are large, usually over 3.9" (100mm); back is dark green; belly is yellowish with a reticulated pattern of black; the muscular part of the tail is light green with dark spots; the lower fin has dark spots while the upper does not; this tadpole probably overwinters and transforms the following spring.
Habitat & Behaviors:
An aquatic species inhabiting permanent bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, marshes, cypress bay heads, wet prairies and river swamps. Although in Florida this is the common frog gigged commercially for it legs, it is an alert and shy frog that is difficult to approach undetected, except at night with spot lights.
Similar Species:
Bullfrogs resemble adult Pig frogs but webbing of hind toes does not extend to tip of longest toe (as with Pig frogs) and ventral mottling is lighter (than that of Pig frogs). River frogs have white spots on the jaw and lip areas and ventral mottling is extensive and heavy. Bronze frogs have partial (2/3), yet distinct lateral ridges and the snout and upper lip may be bright green.
Voice Call:
Sounds like the subdued grunt of a pig; generally call from lily pads or other aquatic vegetation, away from the shoreline but may call while floating high in the water; April through summer.
This frog has been observed at the following locations. Click on the map to view the data.
