American Bullfrog

Here's another pond denizen I met in the Sourland pond during my springtime visit: an American Bullfrog. The tympana "ear" looks larger than the eye so I think this is a male bullfrog who's slightly obscured under a stick:

  • If you want to over-anthropomorphize his motivation for this location, perhaps he was trying to be discreet while the pond's toads were engaging in public displays of affection.
  • More likely, frogs feel less exposed to danger when they're a little bit under cover, like these guys. (Although sticks can be a landing spot for some of our dragonflies, our frog friend looks poorly positioned to see, let alone eat, them.)
  • There is zero evidence that a game of fetch was going on, and the frog was retrieving the stick.

April 14, 2023
Photo 272126203, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

 

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