Pig Frog on Lilly Pads

[Ira Runyan]

Pig Frog (Lithobates grylio) - If you have ever ordered Frog Legs at a restaurant in the south east United States, chances are that you were served Pig Frogs which look a lot like the Bullfrog. The Pig Frog ranges in length from 3.25 to 5.5 inches. Their appearance is that of a "bullfrog" with a rather narrow and pointed head and fully webbed hind feet. The fourth toe is webbed nearly to its tip. Although the pig frog in many ways look like a bullfrog, their voices are entirely different. Instead of the jug-o-rum of the bullfrog, this frog has a sound that is likened to the sound of the grunting of a pig. The Pig Frog male's ear is greatly larger than its eye, whereas the female's ear is equal in size to the eye. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic is that males have a bright yellow throat.