The Squeaky Frog Scares the Predator
If you’ve ever been walking along a stream or pond, and you were startled by a high-pitched squeak followed by a splash, it was probably a bullfrog or a bronze frog. The bronze frog is also known as the green frog, depending on where it lives. The bronze ones tend to be bronze or brownish in color, and the green ones are . . . green.
Researchers aren’t certain why these frogs do the squeak and splash. Some think the squeak is a way to startle a predator; while others think it’s a warning to alert other frogs in the area.
If you haven’t walked along a stream or pond, get your grown-ups to take you to a park and try it out. You can enjoy the laughs as you watch the squeaking frogs surprise the adults. You may want to tell them to take a backup pair of underwear, just in case.
When you look, you see.
The current scientific name for green/bronze tree frogs is Lithobates clamitans. I write “current” because taxonomists changed the name from Rana clamitans a few years ago, so you might see it listed with either scientific name depending on what book/website/resource you are looking at. Occasionally, taxonomists change scientific names based on new research.
You can find these frogs near ponds, lakes, swamps, and streams just about anywhere in the eastern half of the United States. They blend in well with surrounding vegetation, so you just might hear the squeak and splash before you see the frog! If you aren’t located in the eastern United States, there are other frogs very similar to the bronze frog that probably live in your area, like the larger American Bullfrog.
One other interesting place you can see “bronze” frogs is on the streets of Blacksburg, Virginia. These “bronze” frogs are actually made of bronze, and are part of a cool public arts project called the 16 Frogs Project. The project placed 16 bronze frog statues around downtown Blacksburg and was meant to raise awareness about water quality and also some local history. The frog statues were all modeled after the same green/bronze you’ve read about in Copper’s adventure.
I can’t guarantee you’ll find bronze frogs every time you look for them by a nearby pond, but I can guarantee you can find these particular bronze frogs in Blacksburg. They even have a map! You can learn more about this neat project which combines nature, art, history, and environmental education at https://16frogs.org/.
Get a leg up on your frog knowledge.
Hop into the resources below to land on even more interesting frog stuff!
Kids, remember to ask a parent, teacher, or librarian for help whenever you are looking for books or using the Internet. I always try to make sure to share kid-friendly books and resources, but websites are changing all the time, so always check with an adult first.
- The Herps of NC website has a nice write-up on green/bronze frogs including a mention of the “eeek!” alarm call given when the frogs are frightened. Herps is shorthand for reptiles and amphibians because the study of reptiles and amphibians is called herpetology. A herpetologist is someone who studies frogs and reptiles. Herps of NC was started by students at the Davidson College Herpetology Lab. http://herpsofnc.org/green-frog/
- When you see a frog, are you wondering about how you can identify what type of frog it is? The Virginia Herpetological Society has a cool breakdown of some of the terms you’ll see in field guides which are used to identify frogs: https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/identification-keys/id-keys-frogs/frog-id-keys01.html
- Listen to the call of a bronze/green frog provided by the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. The call is often compared to a plucked banjo string or a loose banjo string. If you hear it along a pond or riverbank, I think you’ll recognize it next time! https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/sounds/rancla.mp3
- Check out these slow-motion National Geographic frog jump videos recorded by researchers using high-speed cameras. The researchers found that frogs can jump more than ten times their length, and the video explains how frogs generate that kind of jumping power with their amazing frog muscles!