Bullfrog 379202 222230667 2008-06-28T06:00:02Z Xavexgoem 5259502 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/24.235.225.178|24.235.225.178]] ([[User talk:24.235.225.178|talk]]) to last version by 24.18.4.185 {{otheruses}} {{Taxobox | name = American Bullfrog | status = LC | trend = up | image = North-American-bullfrog1.jpg | image_caption = Bullfrog, ''Rana catesbeiana'' | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Amphibia]] | ordo = [[Anura]] | familia = [[Ranidae]] | genus = ''[[Rana (genus)|Rana]]'' | species = '''''R. catesbeiana''''' | binomial = ''Rana catesbeiana'' | binomial_authority = ([[George Shaw|Shaw]], 1802) | range_map = Bullfrog_range.gif | range_map_caption = Bullfrog range | synonyms = <center>''Lithobates catesbeianus'' }} The '''American Bullfrog''' (''Rana catesbeiana'',<ref name="Hillis2007">Hillis, D. M. 2007. Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42:331-338.</ref><ref name="HillisandWilcox2005">Hillis, D. M., and T. P. Wilcox. 2005. Phylogeny of the New World True Frigs (''Rana''). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 34:299-314.</ref><ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS|ID=173441|taxon=Rana catesbeiana|year=2006|date=6 February}}</ref>) is an aquatic [[frog]], a member of the family [[Ranidae]], or "true frogs", native to much of [[North America]]. ==Description == The bullfrog is a large species in the family [[Ranidae]]; it can grow to a length of 20 cm (7.87 inches) with a weight of up to 750&nbsp;g (1.65 pound), the largest frog in North America.<ref>http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/frogwatch/whoswho/factshts/bullfrog.htm</ref> Females are typically larger than males. They are generally varying shades of [[green]] or [[brown]], with dark brown, dark green, or [[black]] blotching and a [[yellow]] or [[white]] underside. The skeleton of an adult frog consists of [[bone]], [[hyaline cartilage]], and [[Cartilage#Mineralisation|calcified cartilage]]. The calcified cartilage can be found throughout the body of the frog, but it is particularly more noticeable in the [[epiphyses]] of the long bones in the limbs and shoulder-gridle. The frog has no [[scapula]] and a suprascapula which allows for greater range of motion for long jumps.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} The [[radius (bone)|radius]] and [[ulna]] have become fused into a single bone, the radio-ulna, and the [[tibia]] and [[fibula]] have become fused into a single bone, the tibio-fibula. [[Image:American Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana Side 1800px.jpg|left|thumb|A young female with a relatively small tympanic membrane]] The [[vertebrae]] comprise 6 bones; nine are true vertebrae, and the rod-shaped [[urostyle]] that is almost as long as the other nine. The head of the frog is flat but its form depends on the extensive separation of the [[jaw]] bones; the [[Orbit (anatomy)|orbital]] cavities and the horizontal direction of their floor also have an effect on the form of the head. The [[central nervous system]] is made up of the [[spinal cord]] and the [[brain]], where the spinal cord is a bit smaller than the brain. The [[peripheral nervous system]] contains the [[cranial nerves]] and spinal nerves. ==Ecology and behavior== [[Image:Bullfrog - natures pics.jpg|thumb|240px|Bullfrog in typical aquatic habitat.]] The American Bullfrog uses its skin, [[Buccal pumping|buccal cavity]], and [[lungs]] for respiration. [[Cutaneous]] ("skin") gas exchange is very important in all amphibians. They are aptly named since their call is a loud, guttural bellow that carries a long distance, giving the impression that the frog is much larger than it actually is, which is an advantage in keeping predators away. === Reproduction === The male reproductive organs are the [[testes]] and their duct, and the female have [[ovaries]]. In the spring the male calls the female from the water. The female lays up to 20,000 [[egg (biology)|eggs]], and these eggs become tadpoles. Their [[Metamorphosis (biology)|metamorphosis]] brings them the organs that are only found in the adult frogs and takes between 12-24 months. There are three major changes that take place during the metamorphosis: [[Image:Bullfrog_Tadpole.jpg|240px|thumb|Bullfrog [[tadpole]]]] #[[Premetamorphosis]] which is when the [[embryo]] [[genesis]] and growth and development occur, during this time the [[thyroid gland]] is absent. #[[Prometamorphosis]] is the period in which the concentration of the [[endogenous thyroid hormone]] rises. #[[Metamorphosis (biology)|Metamorphosis]] is the period when the tadpole's tail shrinks back into the frog's body. Other organs also undergo changes such as the [[liver]] and the [[intestine]]. The [[gills]] are absorbed as well. The adult frog can live up to 13 years. == Appetite == Bullfrogs will eat various types of animals, such as, insects, fish, snakes, birds and occasionally other frogs. Bullfrogs' hunting style is "sit and wait"; they will sit and wait for their prey to pass by, and then in a flash, will grab it with their tongue and eat it.<ref name=KildeerCountrysideVirtualWetlandPreserve>http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Wetlands/Frogs/BullfrogFood.html</ref> == Distribution == [[Image:Rana_catesbeiana.jpg|left|240px|thumb|Bullfrog, ''R. catesbeiana'']] The American Bullfrog is native to North America. They are found in the [[United States]], [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]], east of the [[Rocky Mountains]], but have been introduced to many other localities throughout the world. In [[Europe]] and the western U.S., measures are often taken to control its spread because it competes with, and often drives out, native species. == Human use == [[Image:Toad_and_Frog.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A captive matured female American Bullfrog housed with a full-grown male Asiatic Toad [[Bufo melanostictus]]/[[Bufo gargarizans]].]] While occasionally kept as pets, the American Bullfrog provides a minor [[frog legs|food source]], especially in the [[Southern United States]] and in some areas of the [[Midwestern United States]]. In a few locations they are commercially cultured in ponds, but the traditional way of hunting them is to paddle or pole silently by canoe or flatboat in streams or swamps at night; when the frog call is heard, a light is shined on the frog to temporarily inhibit it. The frog will not jump into deeper water as long as movement is slow and steady. When close enough, the frog is [[Trident|gigged]] and brought into the boat. In some states, breaking the skin while catching them is illegal and either grasping gigs or hand capture are used. The only parts eaten are the rear legs, which resemble small [[chicken]] [[poultry|drumsticks]] and, sometimes, the backs, which are usually fried for consumption. The American Bullfrog is also used as a specimen for dissection in many schools across the world. ==Trivia== The American Bullfrog is the [[List of U.S. state amphibians|State Amphibian]] of [[Missouri]] and [[Oklahoma]]. Two Bullfrogs were launched into orbit in 1970 on the [[Orbiting Frog Otolith]] spacecraft. ==See also== * [[Sleep (non-human)|Sleep in nonhumans]] == External links == *[http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/frogs/rana.catesbeiana.html Herps of Texas: ''Rana catesbeiana''] *[http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/frogwatch/whoswho/factshts/bullfrog.htm British Columbia Frog Watch Program: Bull Frog Fact Sheet] *[http://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/sdcp2/fsheets/ex/bf.html Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, Exotic Species: Bull Frog] ==Footnotes== {{Reflist}} == References == <div class="references-small"> * {{IUCN2006|assessors=Santos-Barrera, G. ''et al''. |year=2004|id=58565|title=Rana catesbiana|downloaded=12 May 2006}} Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern. * {{aut|Hillis, D.M. & Wilcox, T.P.}} (2005): Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (''Rana''). ''[[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.]]'' '''34'''(2): 299–314. <small>{{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007}}</small> [http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/215.pdf PDF fulltext]. * {{aut|Hillis, D. M.}} (2007) Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. ''[[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.]]'' '''42''': 331–338. </div> {{wikispecies|Rana catesbeiana}} [[Category:Rana]] [[Category:Amphibians of the United States]] [[Category:Fauna of Delaware and Maryland]] [[Category:Invasive animal species]] [[da:Amerikansk oksefrø]] [[de:Amerikanischer Ochsenfrosch]] [[es:Rana catesbeiana]] [[eo:Taŭra rano]] [[fr:Ouaouaron]] [[it:Lithobates catesbeianus]] [[hu:Ökörbéka]] [[nl:Brulkikker]] [[ja:ウシガエル]] [[no:Amerikansk oksefrosk]] [[pl:Żaba rycząca]] [[pt:Rana catesbeiana]] [[simple:Bullfrog]] [[fi:Härkäsammakko]] [[sv:Oxgroda]] [[th:กบบูลฟร็อก]] [[uk:Велика зелена жаба]] [[zh:美国牛蛙]]