Frog a Threat?

[falconut]

Over the last two years, we've added a few tadpoles for a total of 4. Recently, we've seen a frog, which was what we were hoping for. There appears to be just 1 frog, but I rarely see it. It only comes as dusk and doesn't appear to be every night. I will walk by and hear a big splash. A couple of times, I've seen it and it's huge. I would have to say it's body is around 4-5". I was amazed how big it was, I was hoping for smaller frogs.

I had a 3" fantail disappear a few weeks after seeing the frog, so I'm wondering if it was eaten. When I did a search to see if frogs could eat fish, I found were Bullfrogs can. I only have comets, between 4"-6" in size, so now I'm wondering if the frog is a threat to the other fish. I got the tadpoles for the same garden center that my fish came from, so I wasn't even thinking that it could be a Bullfrog tadpoles. Not sure if it is, just wondering if it is.

Apparently Leopard, Green and Bullfrogs are the 3 common ones in my area. From my memory, the tadpoles were around 3" (head - tail), not sure if that can determine the type. Maybe it's just a large Green frog, but I can't really see it very good and haven't been able to get a photo either.

Should I try and catch it and relocate it to one of the nearby lakes? Is I need to catch it, I suppose I'll have to walk by it every night with a net and flashlight, and when I hear it jump it find it with the flashlight at the bottom and try to net it. Unless somebody has a better suggestion.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

All water frogs get reasonably big. Around the 4"-5" depending on the type. That includes Bullfrogs, but they can also get much larger than that as they get older.

Places that sell tadpoles almost always sell Bullfrog tadpoles. I'm not sure why, but that's how it always is around here. My frogs have all come in on their own. I just relocated my largest Bullfrog this morning because it was killing birds and eating fish that were 1-2 years old. Of the roughly 30 frogs I've had, he's the only one that's ever caused a problem, but he's also the only one that was ever as big as he is. I hated getting rid of him because he's been a part of the pond for nearly as long as the pond's been in, but I didn't want to lose any more fish or find any more dead birds. He was easy to catch. I waited until it was out hunting at night. My frogs rarely get scared and jump at night so it was easy to put a container over it and catch it. This morning I brought him to a nearby pond at let him go.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Frogs will try to eat just about anything that moves that they can fit into their mouth. That includes other frogs and smaller members of their own species, even their own children and siblings if there is enough size difference.
JB is correct in that most tadpoles sold are bullfrogs, I believe this is so because their tadpoles are quite large and substantial. Tadpoles from smaller varieties of frogs are often quite small and not nearly so hardy. The tadpoles from the frogs I have in my pond are only about an inch long and don't last long in my pond because they quickly get eaten by the fish or my turtle.
Interestingly bullfrogs have become very invasive in areas where they were never native to before because of people buying the tadpoles and ending up with frogs far larger then the owners wanted and then releasing them into the areas where they are not native where they grow fast by consuming all the smaller native frogs. Sound at all familiar?

 

[sissy]

I saw a toad eat my fantail so yes and tried to catch him before he got my fantail stuffed into his mouth .Now I wage a war on frogs and toads .I hate hate hate hate them.Now they get caught and taken to farm ponds where they are welcomed with open arms

 

[falconut]

Okay, sounds like I should see if I can catch him.

 

[sissy]

My fantail was not small either as he was 11 years old .I only had 2 fantails popeye and olive oil .He got popeye

 

[Mmathis]

Another factoid is that it takes bullfrog tadpoles longer to develop into frogs, sometimes a couple of years. That might help, knowing how long you've had the tadpoles.

 

[falconut]

We got 2 last year & 2 this year. Not sure with batch it came from. I know 1 last year had legs if it helps.

 

[mrsclem]

I lost 3 dozen fry to several leopard frogs this weekend!

 

[falconut]

I finally saw him during the day and was able to catch him. To me, he looks like a bullfrog. To the local lake he goes in a few.

 

[sissy]

that is what mine looked like but lots bigger and did not get a pic it was night and didn't want to let him get away .I don't even like to touch them

 

[addy1]

I finally saw him during the day and was able to catch him. To me, he looks like a bullfrog. To the local lake he goes in a few.

yep bullfrog. I have only green frogs , so far. Bunches of them. It does not bother me if they eat a fish here and there, ow the pond gets overrun with fish.

 

[sissy]

I tried to catch the ones at my pond tonight but no luck

 

[falconut]

I got lucky, he was out in the open when I was topping the pond off.

 

[peter hillman]

We had bullfrogs a couple times, once saw the tail of a small bird in ones mouth. Another time the stupid thing ended up in our bedroom??
This last year we had a frog visit, not B/F but a small one, kept us up most the night for two weeks So glad it moved on, I tried to eliminate it but he was wedged in a crack near the waterline.