Where’s Wildlife · Frog & Toad Field Guide
Rana pipiens
Pronounced (approx.): RAY-nuh PIP-ee-enz
A spotted, long-legged frog that often leaves the pond to hunt in damp grass.
Northern Leopard Frog. Select the photo to browse the gallery.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
Lengths are snout to vent; season and activity vary with weather and location.
Rounded dark back spots edged in a lighter color
Two pale dorsolateral folds continue toward the groin
Green or brown body with long, powerful hind legs
Compare views, markings and body shapes in the photographs below.
Compare spot shape and the continuity of the pale back folds. Photograph the full back and side of the head when documenting leopard frogs.
Pickerel Frogs usually have more rectangular spots in two rows. Plains Leopard Frogs have back folds interrupted and displaced inward near the hips. Several leopard frogs look similar; locality and call are useful too. Lithobates pipiens is another name used for this species.
Wet meadows, marsh edges, ponds and nearby grassy ground. Adults feed on insects, spiders, worms and other invertebrates. Often seen foraging in damp grassy areas.
Adults may forage well away from water in summer. Spring breeding takes place in shallow wetlands, where rounded egg masses attach to vegetation. Tadpoles generally transform during the warmer months.
A frog in grass can still depend on wetlands for breeding.
Both green and brown individuals have the characteristic spotting.
Back folds and calls help separate regional look-alikes.
Occurs across much of northern North America and parts of the western interior. In Illinois, it is chiefly a species of the northern half of the state. Observation maps show reported encounters, not the entire range.
Explore reported sightings on iNaturalist. Observation records are not a complete range map.