Northern Leopard Frogs Emerging From Hibernation And Males Are Starting To “Snore”
Spring Peepers, Wood Frogs and a variety of salamanders steal the early bird show when it comes to amphibians, but now other species are beginning to appear, including Northern Leopard Frogs which are emerging from the mud at the bottom of the ponds, marshes and streams where they spent the winter. These frogs migrate to their breeding grounds soon after becoming active and before long the males’ sonorous courtship calls will be heard.
During the breeding season males advertise on land and in the water for females with a hoarse snore-like croak followed by two or more clucks. A chorus of them can be fairly deafening. Both males and females also give aggressive calls, males when grasped by another male and females when grasped by a male after they have finished laying their eggs.
To hear a male Northern Leopard Frog’s mating call, go to https://musicofnature.com/calls-of-frogs-and-toads-of-the-northeast/ and scroll down. It’s as distinctive as the Spring Peeper’s “peep” or the Wood Frog’s “quack.”
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Northern Leopard Frogs Migrating
Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens) are often found in wet, grassy meadows where they spend the summer after breeding in a body of water. Come fall, they typically migrate towards the shoreline of a pond, traveling up to two miles in order to do so.
Northern Leopard Frogs cannot tolerate freezing temperatures, so as it begins cooling off in October and November, these irregularly-spotted amphibians seek protection by entering the water and spending the winter months hibernating on the bottom of the pond. They are sometimes covered with a thin layer of silt, sometimes not. Usually they clear the area either side of themselves in order to facilitate respiration. Movement, if there is any, is very slow.
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