It finally happended... a bullfrog....

[Mr. Green Frog]

His presence was interestingly enough spooking the green frogs. Some left the pond or were already eaten, others were leaping out it's way when it swam nearby or under the lilies, etc.. The male green frog that had his territory invaded, stayed put and would do his female call out, so he was just asking for it. Other male on opposite end will actually approach me to chase me off if I do my green frog territorial call from his area, so they'll most likely do the same to bigger frogs which would equal a death sentence. Actually wondering if the bullfrog heard the males and realized there was easy food nearby? Still amazed that all these frogs find this pond. They have to realize on some level that the tree frogs and similar, are calling out from or near a watering hole I suppose.

No pics though regretting that now. It was late when I caught him and just wanted it out of the pond at that point and hands were covered in slime. I was in the car with the 5 gallon within 5 minutes of catching him. Have a river/creek half a mile away with a washed out bridge which was a perfect send off location as hopefully the current took him away before he reached shore. Water was incredibly high so plopped him in. As he fell, he looked back and gave me the eye and muttered how he'd be back.... He's native to the area (but not my back yard) so hopefully not running afoul of any laws, otherwise it's all a big lie and I just killed it. He was big enough he could have eaten any of the resident green frogs with exception to a large female that usually stays hidden in a rock crevice. Actually thought I had 2 bullfrogs as she would only pop her face far enough out the crevice that she looked like one (so surreal seeing these giant-headed big-eye frogs appear after only seeing younger frogs for months on end). Caught her 1st try as I just held it over the opening until getting her to leap out and into the net. Think she either comes and goes or stays in hiding most of the time as I've seen her before, but this was a first time in weeks. Some of the tadpoles that have grown are hers, so it's cool to see these guys propagate.

Anyhow, pond is small enough that I can recognize most of the green frogs either by their daily resting location (even the females seem to hang around in same spots) or by sight. The Cope's Gray, Wood, etc.,when they were coming out earlier in the year, same deal. Had a 6' x 6' water hole about 5" deep and about 25' away from the pond, around a young Austrian pine I planted last year. In that small water hole, was 4 baby green frogs the size of 50 cent pieces that apparently migrated from the pond to it, and 2 adult females all crammed in there lol. Drained and caught all 6 frogs and placed them back at the pond. Went out last night and those same baby frogs were hoping into the tall weeds/grass to hide.

But yeah, fear was the bullfrog would eat most of the younger green frogs or scare off the rest, start calling, then pull females in. That fungus they can carry, can harm other frogs. When he was spotted on that little gravel path I mentioned, that's the same spot the green frogs all come over to at night. They come up there to eat ants, spiders, beetles, etc. so he could have had easy meals.

 

[Lisak1]

That fungus they can carry, can harm other frogs.

It can kill them too - the bullfrog as a tolerant host theory has been pretty much disproven, from what I've read.

 

[Mr. Green Frog]

It can kill them too - the bullfrog as a tolerant host theory has been pretty much disproven, from what I've read.

Had no idea. Guess if I start seeing frog bodies everywhere, I'll know something is up. If they come back en masse, maybe I'll have to run a netting fence around the perimeter of the pond/yard area. Stuff I used for the frog net can clearly hold the larger frogs, but babies and similar could pass through. Would force other frogs in though.

 

[Lisak1]

The frog population has been reduced dramatically due to the fungus, no doubt. But the bullfrog has been eliminated as the carrier. If they are infected young, it will kill them as well.

Are you trying to contain the frogs? That showed up naturally? Just for reference, we've watched them leap to the top of our three foot retaining wall in a single bound. We've watched them climb the wall. We've watched them exit the pond via the waterfall. Why not just let them do what they've already managed to do on their own? You built a great environment for them, they found you - they can handle the rest.

 

[Faebinder]

I'm tolerant of green frogs in my pond but not bull frogs. Those things can be huge, or will be eventually, and will eat my fish.

 

[Tula]

I've been out of town for a few weeks as my daughter had a baby....lo and be hold....a bull frog moved in during my absence ! He seems to hang out in the water fall and I haven't seen any dead birds ( also haven't seen any green frogs ) so he can stay.

 

[Mr. Green Frog]

@Lisak1 They found the yard and pond on their own, or were born in the pond and now stay in/near it. Had 4 frogs late last year that I believe overwintered there as I saw them early spring too, before pond was fully filled. They kicked everything off.

I don't want to contain them. But if mammoth bullfrogs start routinely showing up looking for easy food predation, whether smaller frogs or even the minnows, then I might take drastic measures to give all the other frogs a better chance of growing. Between wetland habitat losses, deforestation, human encroachment, predators, etc., it's almost a human responsibility at this point to give these guys a chance.

During breeding season, there was easily a hodge-podge of a thousand tadpoles in the pond (gray, Cope's, wood, green, etc.). Even a 5% survival rate would be a win. Judging by how many actually grew, the numbers were higher. Bull frogs would probably prevent most of this. If they stayed smaller or didn't eat other frogs or carry frog killing fungus, I wouldn't care. But being invasive and able to eat the adult frogs of other species, don't want them here.

For what it's worth, I grew up in a suburb about 20 miles from where I'm at now (N/E Ohio), and one year while at it's library, they had a reprint of early settlers' accounts to the area (late 1700's very early 1800s). It talked about how rattle snakes would come up through the logs and into their cabins sensing warmth, and bite the children; bears prowled the woods as did mountain lions; native Indian women were scantily clad, so the settler wives would sew "more modest" clothing for them. The reason I brought this up is the rattle snakes are extirpated from the area, as are the bears (bears by the 1850's) and mountain lions (also 1850's but extremely rare sightings in rural areas happen on occasion). Those Seneca Indians were forced out and now a dirty footnote in the annals of early America.

Anyhow, it doesn't take much to wipe an entire species out from an area. 50 years with early 1800's technology took out larger animals. Starting to view humans as an invasive species as we can clearly kill off more than can be saved. And bullfrogs might as well be our early European settler reptile analogy.

 

[Mr. Green Frog]

I've been out of town for a few weeks as my daughter had a baby....lo and be hold....a bull frog moved in during my absence ! He seems to hang out in the water fall and I haven't seen any dead birds ( also haven't seen any green frogs ) so he can stay.

Congrats on the new baby addition.

You won't see them as he/she can actually eat them whole.

 

[brokensword]

Congrats on the new baby addition.

You won't see them as he/she can actually eat them whole.

eat the baby whole???

 

[GBBUDD]

I have a large bull frog several of them and i have seen the legs of others hanging out of there mouths but have yet to find a carcass anywhere. What the hecks going on bird virus frog virus tress virus Covid , have got to stop these mad scientists

 

[BKHpondcritters]

Well, bullfrogs are native to my area, and somehow they have been able to strike a balance with the other pond inhabitants for the past 9 years, so they get to stay. I've had frogs of all types (and multiples of each variety) since the pond went in & that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. I don't know why the bullfrogs don't scare everyone else away (or eat them entirely). Maybe they're too busy watching out for the snakes or hawks that hunt around the pond? Who knows....

 

[Mr. Green Frog]

I've noticed the largest frogs and smaller frogs are seemingly the most skittish, so while not impossible, probably harder for them to get eaten. The smallest babies just climbing out and onto the lilies, can actually hop onto a finger if placed in front of it vs. fleeing. Medium-sized green frogs, even ones not being fed, seem to have a memory of threat vs. no threat, as many will stay put on the water's edge when approaching them after seeing you a few times over the course of a couple days, if moving slow enough and they see you in advance.

I don't doubt there can be a balance if left to their own demise, but really trying to keep the smaller frogs thriving which seems to be working so far. Even toads are flourishing and have numerous small ones appearing around heavily populated insect areas.

 

[Mr. Green Frog]

Well, finally got another bullfrog. This one appears to be a female (no males in the pond as far as I can tell or hear) and she always screams out before plopping in the water as I approach, so very hard to spot her until she surfaces 5 minutes later in the middle of the pond. Is a bright green color. Going to leave her be until too big.

These bullfrogs are definitely more skittish than the green frogs which let me get within a foot or 2 of them. Bull frog sees me 15' away and screams like a little kid as it hops in the water. Kinda funny tbh, and a good way to know you have one. Green frogs just jump, but males sometimes grunt before submerging.