TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE

Bronze Frog Rana clamitans clamitans

PHOTO BY TERRY HIBBITTS

Named for its body color, the bronze frog is a secretive species, hiding under vegetation near ponds, creeks and rivers. It may be difficult to find until warm, humid evenings when its mating call is heard. Bronze Frog Rana clamitans clamitans

APPEARANCE HABITAT

Length: 2 to 4 inches (5.4 to10.2 cm) Bronze frogs prefer shallow streams, ponds, marshes, springs, and swamps with plenty of vegetation. Distinguishing Characteristics • Bronze to brownish body BEHAVIOR • White belly with dark, irregular blotches Bronze frogs are nocturnal and solitary. They remain under • Bright green upper lip and nose cover, in logs and crevices, most of the time. Male bronze frogs • Males may have yellowish throats. court females with a distinct call. Researchers agree that the • Smooth skinned, like all true frogs love song of the bronze frog sounds like someone plucking a • Long hind legs with webbed toes loose banjo string. In fact, another common name for the •Fold of skin, called a lateral line, begins behind the eye runs bronze frog is the “banjo frog.” two-thirds the length of body. • Tympanum (ear disc) is larger in males. NOW YOU KNOW!

LIFE HISTORY • Rana is the Latin word for “frog.” Clamitans, the species and subspecies name, means “noisy” and refers to the call of Range: Southeastern portion of the United the male. •The bronze frog is a member of the true frog family, the States, from North Carolina to the east- Ranidae family. ern third of Texas •The moist, permeable skin of the bronze frog (like other frog Diet: Small frogs, worms, insects, and other species) makes it very sensitive to pollution, a good indicator small invertebrates of water quality for people. Predators: Birds, fish and small carnivores (meat eaters) Sexual maturity: First full summer after metamorphosis BRONZE FROGS AND PEOPLE Breeding season: Early spring through summer Eggs: 2,000 to 4,000 eggs in small masses There is concern about the decline in amphibian populations attached to underwater vegetation. Eggs worldwide, although there is not enough information about are 1.5 mm when laid, but grow to most amphibians (bronze frogs included) in Texas to determine 6 mm as cells divide. whether there is cause for concern here. Worldwide, scientists Incubation: 1 to 2 weeks are investigating a number of possible causes for amphibian Young: Tadpoles are green with small, dark decline: acid rain, herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers, industrial waste, habitat destruction, introduced species, bacteria, ozone spots. They grow 1 to 1.5 inches (28 to depletion and global warming. It could be a combination of any 33 mm) before they metamorphose or several of these suspected causes. In Texas, citizens can join (change from tadpoles to frogs). Texas Amphibian Watch to help scientists keep an eye on the Life span: 7 to 10 years health of Texas amphibian populations. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature or call 512-912-7011

PWD LF D0200-848A (8/02) NOTICE: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department receives federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior and its bureaus prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex (in educational programs). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any Texas Parks and Wildlife Department program, activity, or facility, or if you desire further information, please call or write: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Civil Rights Programs - External Programs, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Webb 300, Arlington, VA 22203, (703) 358-1724.