Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

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TravisK
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Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by TravisK »

Rana catesbeiana noosed by fishing pole and fiber line out of a pond in Northern Spokane County, Washington. The pond which was an old dug out spring near the top of a hill was approximately 15 square yards in surface area and 3-5' at it's deepest point. I estimate that there were in excess of 50 frogs in the pool, but did not observe any larva present. Upon observation in the days to follow I notice that bird feathers were present in this specimens feces. Below are some pics for size, color, and pattern reference.

Body length (snout-vent) is approximately 5.5"
Image

Image

Leg length is near 8"
Image


This wasn't the largest frog in the pond. There was another one in the middle of the pond that was quite a bit bigger than this one but I wasn't willing to get wet. I know a lot of people in the PNW hate these things, and I have to agree they are horribly destructive on native fauna. I just can't help but admire them though. They are a very successful species and I find myself quite intrigued by them.

I decided I would do my ecological part and reduce this population by three members, the one pictured above and below went home with me as well as two much smaller and younger specimens.



The Princess and the Frog
Image

Image

Hope you enjoyed, and if you have any R. catesbeiana love please post and share.

Cheers,
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TravisK
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by TravisK »

Is the correct binomial Lithobates catesbeianus or Rana catesbeiana?

http://www.bullfrogcontrol.com/rana_or_ ... tes__.html
^according to this I guess Rana will do... for now.
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PNWHerper
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by PNWHerper »

Travis,

I am a big admirer of Rana catesbiana myself. Yes, they do eat and out compete some native species. But I don't know a single case where bullfrogs were recorded as solely responsible for the extirpation of native fauna in the PNW.

Generally, their effects are secondary to the vastly more destructive and devastating impacts of habitat destruction and alteration by human hands and machinery. I think the the impacts of invasive species is often exaggerated, and peoples responses are usually emotionally charged when dealing with invasives... especially bullfrogs.

Personally, I love them. They are very intriguing to me and I think once some one takes the time to really stare into the golden eyes of one of these animals it is hard not to be fascinated by them. I have spent many hours watching them. I have also kept a tadpole as a pet when I was a kid. It transformed into a little frog before it died.

I hunt and eat bullfrogs as well. Generally, I eat those which come on the the property of the school where I work. We do not have an established population, and so we are working hard to keep them away. We have a good population of northern red-legged frogs, boreal toads, Pacific treefrogs and several salamanders.

I occasionally go further afield to seek them out. Hunting them has, if anything, created an even deeper respect for them then I had before. They are incredibly aware and quick to disappear when hunted during the day. I never hunt them for fun, but rather, only for food.

I have seen some giant individuals in the field that likely pushed the 8" SVL limit.

What is the largest SVL ever recorded for bullfrogs? What sizes have ya'll seen?
Paul White
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by Paul White »

I love bullfrogs, but would gladly kill/collect the ones I find in non native situations. But they are damn impressive.
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ThatFrogGuy
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by ThatFrogGuy »

Glad to see some other people appreciate this species. I think its amazing how fast they can spread despite their extended larval stage.
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Don Becker
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by Don Becker »

Where does someone purchase on of those measuring mats?
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TravisK
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by TravisK »

psyon wrote:Where does someone purchase on of those measuring mats?
Micheals, Hobby Lobby, any scrapbooking store. They come in very handy when photographing inverts as most people, myself included, get a little Fishy <::::::::::::>< with measurements sometimes.
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jonathan
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by jonathan »

PNWHerper wrote:Travis,

I am a big admirer of Rana catesbiana myself. Yes, they do eat and out compete some native species. But I don't know a single case where bullfrogs were recorded as solely responsible for the extirpation of native fauna in the PNW.
Yeah, and HIV is never "solely responsible" for killing anyone, but that doesn't mean it's not a terrible disease. Like bullfrogs.
lashinala2
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by lashinala2 »

I like 'em fried with tabasco....maybe I'll try wasabi next time.
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Fundad
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by Fundad »

I KILL everyone I get a chance to kill (in the west only)... Sad but true..

They are BAD news..

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johneddington
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by johneddington »

Fundad wrote:I KILL everyone I get a chance to kill (in the west only)... Sad but true..

They are BAD news..

Fundad

I hope you mean every bullfrog...if not, I hope to never meet you in the field ;-)
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KingCam
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by KingCam »

lashinala2 wrote:I like 'em fried with tabasco....maybe I'll try wasabi next time.
mmm, I bet wasabi frog legs would be damn good! With a little bit of soy sauce
Paul White
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by Paul White »

I'm getting some of those mats for baby snakes--great way to show scale! Thanks for the idea.


If I get a free large tank I may collect a bullfrog; there's a pond here with a good population (and they're not native to my region so...). They're just frigging AMAZING animals.
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TravisK
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by TravisK »

Last night, the wife and I were woken up to what sounded like something large growling in the living room. Took us a second or two to realize it was the frog. I have only heard him vocalize once so far and wasn't really expecting it at the time.

I haven't had frog legs since I was a kid, i can't even remember what they tasted like. I would be down for trying some again, but my wife and kids would kill me if the legs were attached to this actual frog. By the way, these things poop.... A LOT.
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PNWHerper
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by PNWHerper »

Travis,

If you get some clear pics of the poop with something in the image for scale I might be able to put it in the Herp Tracking book.
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M Wolverton
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by M Wolverton »

:lol:

I can't imagine how loud that has to be inside of a house.
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Natalie McNear
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by Natalie McNear »

The only thing I think of when I see bullfrogs are them eating these things:

Image
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jonathan
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by jonathan »

Natalie McNear wrote:The only thing I think of when I see bullfrogs are them eating these things:
I usually think of spotted frogs, red-legged frogs, yellow-legged frogs, and pond turtles.
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PNWHerper
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by PNWHerper »

Natalie McNear wrote:
The only thing I think of when I see bullfrogs are them eating these things:

I usually think of spotted frogs, red-legged frogs, yellow-legged frogs, and pond turtles.
I usually think of bullfrogs eating these....

Image


:lol: :lol: :lol: ;)
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KingCam
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by KingCam »

PNWHerper wrote:I usually think of bullfrogs eating these....

Image
:lol: :lol: :lol: nice



I usually think of ME eating them! mmmm
Image
image not mine, credit here

Bullfrogs do make fun pets, though. They eat like monsters! Just gotta keep their water clean, they poop a lot.
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SnakeStick
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Re: Rana catesbeiana - Invasive Appreciation Thread

Post by SnakeStick »

I usually think of ME eating them! mmmm
Haha. I've never had frog legs, but they look pretty good...

I've always been partial to hefty anurans. I've kept a male rhinella schneideri for about fifteen years now. They certainly have voracious appetites. :thumb:
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