Description: This frog is up to 5 inches long. It is green or brown in color with a yellowish ridge along each side of the back. Rounded dark spots occur on the back and sides; a light spot is seen on each eardrum. The male has larger fore limbs than the female. The breeding male's vocal sacs are spherical when inflated. The call is described as a "ratchetlike trill", "chuckling croak", or a "squeaky balloon-like sound".

Habitat: Southern leopard frogs occur in the vicinity of virtually any freshwater habitat and in some locations inhabit slightly brackish marshes. In summer they may disperse from water into moist upland vegetation. Breeding occurs in still, shallow, permanent or temporary waters of many kinds. Males call usually from shallow or deep water while floating or submerged, sometimes while hidden in crayfish burrows. Egg masses may be attached to vegetation or float free in shallow water.

Range: This frog is widespread across eastern North America, especially the southeast. It is the most common frog in Florida and in several other regions. It is an introduced species in the Bahamas and at two locations in California. Southern leopard frogs are believed to have been introduced to the Prado Flood Control Basin via a shipment of aquatic fauna to the Chino Gun Club in 1929 or 1930; they are now common in areas of the basin undergoing urbanization. A second established population of the species in California is now suspected, following the March 2016 discovery of two female Southern Leopard Frogs in the San Joaquin River just northwest of Fresno on the border between Madera and Fresno counties.

Found in these States: AL | AR | CA | DE | FL | GA | IA | IL | IN | KS | KY | LA | MD | MO | MS | NC | NJ | OK | PA | SC | TN | TX | VA

Diet: Metamorphosed frogs eat various small invertebrates, mainly terrestrial arthropods; rarely small vertebrates. Larvae eat suspended matter, algae, plant tissue, organic debris, and probably some small invertebrates. Southern leopard frogs feed primarily on insects, crayfish and other invertebrates. They forage in upland areas during the summer. In other parts of their range, their diet consists mainly of spiders, beetles, and gastropods like snails.

Reproduction: Breeding occurs usually in March-June in the northern part of the range and in any month in the far south (but often November-March with filling of ephemeral ponds).. Individual females deposit globular masses of up to several thousand eggs. Larvae hatch in a few to several days, metamorphose in summer or fall, or may overwinter and metamorphose the following year. Relatively small differences in hydroperiod can have large effects on juvenile recruitment

It typically nests communally in cooler weather, and individually in warmer weather. Communal egg deposition in cooler temperatures is thought to be an adaptation for increased egg and embryo survival, creating a thermal advantage, similar to that of the Wood frog. Eggs hatch in 4 days to nearly two weeks. It has been shown that L. sphenocephalus eggs hatch more quickly in response to the presence of predators such as crayfish. The tadpoles take 50 to 75 days to develop to adulthood.

Status:

Subspecies: Florida Leopard Frog (L.s. sphenocephalus) & Coastal Plains Leopard Frog (L.s. ultricularius)

Taxonomy: This species was placed in the genus Lithobates by Frost et al. (2006). However, Yuan et al. (2016, Systematic Biology, doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syw055) showed that this action created problems of paraphyly in other genera. Yuan et al. (2016) recognized subgenera within Rana for the major traditional species groups, with Lithobates used as the subgenus for the Rana palmipes group. AmphibiaWeb recommends the optional use of these subgenera to refer to these major species groups, with names written as Rana (Aquarana) catesbeiana, for example.