An American Bullfrog at Felt Lake

           The greyish brown frog with large dark spots floating at the edge of Felt Lake on Sunday morning, April 8, 2018, looked so calm and peaceful. As I edged closer to it, I realized that the amphibian was actually dead. Had I known much about bullfrogs, I might have realized that as a nocturnal predator, it would have been unusual for such a large frog to be hanging around on the edge of a lake on a bright and sunny morning. But then again, as an ectothermic (cold-blooded) animal, it would not be unusual for a frog to lie in the sun to help maintain its body temperature. Cold-blooded animals have to rely on outside elements to stay the right temperature. Regardless of its condition, I was intrigued. The frog looked quite perfect except for the fact that it was also quite dead. Nonetheless, I proceeded to take several close-ups of it. I even fished it out of the lake with the help of a friend, so that I could examine it up close.

As is typical of bullfrogs, my little friend had big eyes, now tightly shut, and long hind legs. Although its body was slimy, it was quite smooth. I had expected to see bumps and warts – which I later learned are more typical of toads than frogs. As I researched my little bullfrog friend, I learned a number of interesting facts: the bullfrog is the larges frog in North America, measuring up to six inches when fully stretched; the frog earned its unique name from its loud call, which sounds like the roar of a bull. In fact, the sound a bullfrog makes is so loud that it could damage its eardrums, expect for the fact that a bullfrog’s eardrums are connected to its lungs – this unique adaptation allows the frog to make really loud sounds without bursting its own eardrums!

            Bullfrogs are relatively new to the Pacific Northwest, having been brought over from the East Coast in the 1930’s as a food source. Apparently, bullfrogs have big, meaty legs, which are supposed to be highly nutritious and low in calories – a real “health” food. Although I have no intention of ever trying one!

            Through my research, I also learned that bullfrogs are cannibals! Not only will they eat just about anything that fits in their large mouths, including insects, mice, birds, snakes. But they will also eat their own species – in our world, that’s called cannibalism!

            I’ve seen a number of pictures of bullfrogs with prey in their mouth that is twice its own size, and have wondered how it could possibly swallow such a large “portion”. Well, it turns out that frogs eat their prey whole and they use their eyeballs, which sink down into their mouth, to help push the food down into their throat. Now that’s quite a party trick!

            My research on the American Bullfrog made me realize that my little grey friend, although calm and peaceful when I chanced upon him on Felt Lake, could not have been that calm and peaceful when alive. Not only are bullfrogs loud and aggressive predators, but with female bullfrogs laying twenty thousand eggs a season, these frogs are multiplying rapidly. I am certain I would have come across an entire army of them had I walked the lake at dusk. That said, I am quite satisfied with my first, and hopefully only, encounter with a bullfrog.

Sara A.