Does anyone have any idea what kind of a frog this is?

He is a one of a kind in my pond.

Northern Leopard Frog?

http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/frogs/north.htm

I second Leopard Frog .

thanks for the help

I think it might be a Pickerel Frog.
http://kmier.net/ecology/pickerel.html

They look a lot alike. I brought several Pickerel Frogs home for my pond. I was afforded the luxury of viewing both a Pickerel Frog and a Northern Leopard Frog right here in the same pond. They look very much alike. Too much alike I think. To really confuse matters, there is a Southern Leopard frog that looks even more alike than the Northern.
Southern-
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/herpdist/species/ra_sphenoc.html
Northern-
http://kmier.net/ecology/leopard.html

There's a side by side photo of a Pickerel and a Leopard Frog at this site-
http://people.wcsu.edu/pinout/herpetology/rpalustris/pickerelfroglife.html

I would love EITHER in my pond!
:)

Thank you Equilibrium for the information. It sure looks like the pickerel frog. I hope he sticks around here.

Aren't they way cool!

I should clarify. I actually brought a few tadpoles home out of a vernal pond that a person said always dried up before the tads could morph. They told me they had no idea what they were but frogs. OK, that works for me. The kids also caught a few that they wanted to bring home and I figured I'd let them because we have the space and ponds for them so they'll survive. Once I started looking at them, I realized they didn't quite look like the frogs we have around here. I started looking on the Internet and getting photos of frogs from the area of Michigan we were in and frogs from the area we live in here in Illinois. The Pickeral frog is extirpated from my area. It's been gone for a long time. The Leopard frog is still here. The kids let the new frogs loose by the woodland pond where the Leopard Frogs hang out and that was how I was able to get a good looks at both of them together at the same time. The frogs from Michigan were Pickerels and the frogs that were already here were Leopard Frogs. Even when they are close to each other, they still look a lot alike. Anyway, the tads morphed and they were Pickerels too so now we have quite a few Pickerel Frogs which is nice. I'm sort of crossing my fingers that they get established here. It would be nice to keep them around.

We have between 20-25 frogs by or in our ponds. The one that is in the picture is a one of a kind here. We are hoping that he/she stays here and has some kids. lol

We've got hundreds of these frogs in Michigan. I must admit I didn't know the tads were going to be Pickerel Frogs or I would have taken far more. Where is Mason in relationship to Escanaba? We're on our way up north next week and this is the time of year we picked up the tads last year. Maybe I could go back to that vernal pond and net up every tad in it and drop off as many as you wanted on our way back home to Illinois? That would give your "one of a kind" a few friends.

LOL, We live near Lansing. Today there was a floresent light green frog in the pond. By the time I went and got the camera he was gone. I think the frogs are so neat.

Here is our pond. Its a little on the green side.

This message was edited Jun 26, 2006 11:12 PM

Oh what a beautiful pond! So what if it is a little green. Guess if you're in lower Michigan then I won't be dropping by on my way home the UP with frog friends for you. Oops.

Is this per chance the light green frog you saw-
http://www.wildherps.com/images/herps/standard/04050902PD_Green_frog.jpg
http://faculty.uca.edu/~mcdonaldv/photogallery/Green%20Frog%20(Rana%20clamitans%20ssp.).jpg
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/photos/rana.clamitans.jpeg
http://www.mikeredmer.com/Rana_clamitans_H1230_preview_small.jpg
http://www.naturewatch.ca/databases/frogs/images/rana_clamitans.jpg

The above frogs are all the same species. This particular frog can also be all brown. This is the Green Frog (Rana clamitans).

The frog that was in my pond had the same color patch that is on this frogs face in the link below. But mine was real lime green color all over it. http://www.wildherps.com/images/herps/standard/04050902PD_Green_frog.jpg
I have been out there all day looking for it. No luck, but he will be back and I will get a pic of him.

Equilibrium, you sure know your frogs. ;) I wish I did.
It was funny the other night someone came to look at something that my husband had in the paper to sell. It was around 8pm and the frogs were making all sorts of noises like a chicken and so on, and this lady asked what in the world is making all of that noise. My husband told her and she said the sound of them freaked her out. LOL I like to hear them, to me it is peaceful.

I found him. Here is a picture. It is hard to see his color because he is among leaves in the shade.

This message was edited Jun 27, 2006 3:53 PM

The frog in the image you linked to is a Green Frog.

Looks like the photo of your visitor might be a Green Frog too. For a moment there I was thinking Bullfrog but then I spotted that dorsal-lateral ridge. Bullfrogs have one but it doesn't extend the length of their backs as it does on a Green Frog. The dorsal-lateral ridge just sort of swoops down around the Bullfrog's tympana toward its underside which is the round circle looking body part by the eye. Speaking of which, on a Bullfrog and Green Frog... I think when the tympana is substantially larger than the eye it is a male. Tympana that are about the same size as the eye means you have a female. Looks as if you have a bouncing baby boy!

The Green Frog is a problem to identify in some regions because it isn't green but brown or tan. Much color variation in this species.

I am pretty good about telling the difference between a Bullfrog and a Green Frog. Next time you can get your hands on one of each, hold them up to your face and look for the dorsal-lateral ridge. It's a dead give away once you get a chance to see them side by side.

LOL I have no idea what a dorsal-lateral ridge is. I did notice that it has these ear plug things where the ears should be. Those are the strangest looking things. I will search the net on the frog information. Maybe they have a drawing of the dorsal-lateral ridge so I will know what I am looking for. Thanks so much for all of the information on my kids.

I took the liberty of playing with your photo. The dorsal-lateral ridge now has a bright red line over it so you can go back to the original photo and compare. The tympana are circled in blue.

If this had been a Bullfrog, the dorsal-lateral ridge would have been like this-

Equilibrium, thanks so much. I get it now. I think I am going to go out and sex my frogs to see what all I have out there. LOL I have one that is the size of a nickle. He is so sweet.

I'm a visual person myself. I need good photos or the real thing in front of my face or I usually don't get it. Frog the size of a nickel? Hmmm, for your area check out Gray Tree Frogs, Chorus Frogs, and maybe even a Spring Peeper or post a photo and let's have some more fun. I think the little ones are adorable too. One ended up in one of my Tall Pitcher Plants last year and I rescued him. I couldn't bear to have him sucked down and ingested by plant digestive juices. Flies, wasps, and hornets down the tubes... no problem but not one of my little Chorus Frogs.

Here is one of my babies. He is not the smallest one, but he is seen more frequently. Look at his tiny legs.

This message was edited Jun 29, 2006 2:04 PM

Another picture of him.

Congratulations! It appears rather small and can't see the feet all that well but it looks as if you have yet another color form of the Green frog only this one looks like a girl. Is love in the air...er uh... in the pond!

Yes, she is my pretty little girl frog. I was out taking picture today and two big frogs was bear hugging eachother. The one had the other one under the water and they were twirlling around. We had to break them up. It was 2 boys fighting.

Umm, not exactly. They sort of lose their ability to discriminate when they get in the mood.

Males bear-hug the females to insure good fertilization. You don't want to separate them if you want tadpoles! :)

Males also bear hug other males. They get a little confused at times.

Well they looked like 2 males. I guess I should let them do what they want. Last year I found a few frogs tore open and dead floating on the top of the water. I think one of the frogs or a toad done it to the other.

Doubtful that another frog or a toad would have ripped other frogs apart and left them floating as you described. Sounds like the work of a juvenile raccoon or a cat to me.

You maybe correct on that. I have found stray cats around here also.