Green Frog

Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR, Rori Paloski

Family: Ranidae (True frogs)
Status: Common
Size: 2.4 to 3.5 inches

Green Frog video [exit DNR]

Green frogs have a light to dark olive green or brown background color with small, irregular dark brown spots. Spots are often more numerous in juveniles. They have prominent dorsolateral folds that run from behind the eye to about mid-body.

Species range (darker) in Wisconsin

Like American bullfrogs, adult male green frogs have bright yellow chins. Their calls are low "gung-gung-gung" - like strumming on a loose banjo string. Eggs are laid in a mass attached to floating vegetation on the water's surface. Because their young often overwinter as tadpoles, green frogs require permanent water, like deep marshes, large ponds and lakes. Recent studies show that heavy shoreline development significantly reduces populations, primarily because of lost natural shoreline vegetation.