Rana pipiens (Northern Leopard Frog)
Kingdom: Animalia [10]
Phylum: Chordata [10]
Class: Amphibia [10]
Order: Anura [10]
Family: Ranidea [10]
Genus: Rana [10]
Species: pipiens [10]
Phylum: Chordata [10]
Class: Amphibia [10]
Order: Anura [10]
Family: Ranidea [10]
Genus: Rana [10]
Species: pipiens [10]
The Rana pipiens is a medium sized frog, about 5cm to 11cm in length, whose colour varies from green to brown [13]. It has large dark spots on its back, on its legs and sides [6]. Each spot is framed by a lighter coloured ring [12]. No two frogs of this species are the same, they all have differently placed and shaped spots, this makes the Northern Leopard Frog easy to identify [13]. They have a white underside and large round eyes [12]. Light coloured ridges run down its back from the eyes to the tail [6]. They have two pairs of appendages, two short thin front legs used for balance and support, and two longer muscular back legs used for leaping [6]. Males have larger and more powerful front legs than females but females are generally larger [12]. They have a short, snort like, purr like call [14].
This Northern Leopard Frog (above) is light green in colour, and about 8 cm in length. It had a white stomach and dark brown spots on its back that is framed by a milky very light brown ring. It has two distinct light brown coloured ridges running parallel to each other from the back of its eyes to the tail. The ridges are outlined with a dark brown. It is bilaterally symmetrical in shape with large dark eyes settled on either side of its head with light coloured eyelids. It has two pairs of appendages, two shorter thinner front legs with small webbed fingers on hands for swimming, and two longer, more muscular back legs for jumping. It has a leaf shaped body with its head attached to its thorax and abdomen. It lives near aquatic environments and breathes through its skin. The Northern Leopard Frogs are carnivorous; they will eat anything that can fit in their mouths, from beetles, ants, flies, and worms, to smaller frogs, and even birds and garter snakes.
Habitat
The Leopard frog lives around freshwater ponds and wetlands, where they can be hidden by the long water grasses [12]. They like to live in the mud and can find food, such as insects and snakes that live around and in the water [13]. They lay their eggs in the water, but in the summer they live in meadows and other grassy areas [13]. They like cool temperatures and are most active at night, after sunset [6]. They like to live in oxygen rich freshwater bodies that don’t freeze at the bottom in the winter, and they breed in still water ponds or slow moving streams and creeks [12].
The Northern Leopard frog eats many different organisms and has no specific preferences; therefore even if they lose one type of prey, they can find other organisms to eat [11]. They can survive off of any type of prey, making it flourish in its natural habitat and is one of the most common frogs in North America [12]. They are well adapted to the cold and survive the harsh winter by living under rocks in oxygen rich waters. They can lay up to 6500 eggs and tadpoles develop in the laying pond [11]. Tadpoles are light brown with dark spots [11]. They were very common in Canada before the decline in the 1970s. The Northern Leopard Frogs are eaten by many other organisms such as snakes, racoons, other frogs and even humans (frog legs) [13]. The Northern Leopard Frogs are oviparous, laying eggs in the water with some fish preying on the tadpoles and eggs [12]. They breed once they reach a size of about 5cm in length [13]. Not only are Northern Leopard Frogs a source of food for other organisms in the creek, they also control the bug population, playing an important part in the ecosystem [6]. They help control the different types of bugs to create more diversity in the bug population, and create food for many different organisms [6].
The Northern Leopard frog eats many different organisms and has no specific preferences; therefore even if they lose one type of prey, they can find other organisms to eat [11]. They can survive off of any type of prey, making it flourish in its natural habitat and is one of the most common frogs in North America [12]. They are well adapted to the cold and survive the harsh winter by living under rocks in oxygen rich waters. They can lay up to 6500 eggs and tadpoles develop in the laying pond [11]. Tadpoles are light brown with dark spots [11]. They were very common in Canada before the decline in the 1970s. The Northern Leopard Frogs are eaten by many other organisms such as snakes, racoons, other frogs and even humans (frog legs) [13]. The Northern Leopard Frogs are oviparous, laying eggs in the water with some fish preying on the tadpoles and eggs [12]. They breed once they reach a size of about 5cm in length [13]. Not only are Northern Leopard Frogs a source of food for other organisms in the creek, they also control the bug population, playing an important part in the ecosystem [6]. They help control the different types of bugs to create more diversity in the bug population, and create food for many different organisms [6].
Human Impact
Although we as human would like to think of ourselves as above other organisms, we really are not. Our actions affect them, just like how their actions affect us. We use pesticides and fertilizers to make our lawn pretty, but we don’t realize what it does to the communities around us. The Northern Leopard Frog, once abundant and widespread species in North America has faced massive declines since the 1970s [17]. They have been used as high school lab specimens and their legs have been used in the food industry to for those with a taste for frog legs, but these are not the only human impacts that have endangered these frogs to be considered to have a statues of special concern (SARA) in Environment Canada’s Species at Risk Database [9]. Clear cutting for lumber and development, agriculture, the drainage of swamps, damming rivers to form lakes, and many other practices have been destroying their habitat [17]. Once a population of Northern Leopard Frogs loses their habitat, they would eventually die off while they try to find another habitat to live in, which is highly unlikely due to the distance of habitats and the development of houses and roads. They are run over and stepped on, and it is hard to find a source of food away from their habitat. The use of fertilizers on lawns has also reduced their chances of survival [6]. The Northern Leopard Frog survives winter by living in the deepest, unfrozen, well oxygenated parts of their freshwater habitat, without oxygen, they will die [1]. Runoff from the fertilizers used on lawns leak into the water bodies through the soil, or from the rain, this causes algae blooms to form in the water taking up all the oxygen. In the winter, the frogs cannot find a spot that has enough oxygen to last the season so they either try to come up for oxygen and freeze to death, or they stay in the pond and die from lack of oxygen [1]. In one winter, a whole population of frogs can die off [1]. Environmental factors such as acid rain, created by factory chemicals and introduction of non-native species such as invasive fish and bull frogs have also caused their populations to decline, acid rain makes their habitat much more acidic, making it impossible for the frogs to survive because of their very sensitive outer skin [6]. Invasive fish eat frog eggs and tadpoles, making it hard for the young frogs to survive to be able to reproduces, and invasive bull frogs are competition for food and shelter [6]. Global warming has also caused many small non flowing ponds to dry up, leaving the frogs homeless and killing large populations [6].
The Northern Leopard Frogs are essential to the environment, without them, not only will predators that prey on the frog have no food; they will have to look for new sources of food [6]. There will also be an increase in the bug population as they have lost one of their biggest predators. Because these frogs prey on almost anything, when they are gone, homeowners may notice an increase in bugs, mice, and even small snakes [6]. Because we have lost a natural way to control pests, we will need to create new artificial ways to control these pests. The economic demand for these new creations will increase, making the government fund studies for new pest control, using money on the frogs we have once taken for granted. As more pesticides are tested and used, more health hazards will be created for humans, because pesticides are not only deadly to insects, they can also be harmful to humans after exposure for a long period of time. Anyone can help cut down on runoff by using environmentally friendly produces instead of household chemicals, and when using these chemicals dispose of it properly, not just dumping it down the drain [6]. Also, anyone can use environmentally friendly gardening products, instead of fertilizers, use compost and you can also use natural methods of pest control such as clearing weeds which is a breeding place for insects [8].