If you’ve ever been anywhere near water on a spring or summer evening in Georgia, you’ve probably heard the mating call of the male Bullfrog. Found throughout Georgia, the Bullfrog is among the largest frog species in the U.S. (averaging 4 to 6 inches in length) and is well-known for its loud, deep “jug-o-rum” call [click here to hear it]. Bullfrogs will inhabit just about any permanent water body, including rivers, lakes, streams, marshes and the occasional swimming pool. You can easily spot Bullfrogs on shorelines day and night from early spring through fall, though you’re most likely to hear the males during the April-July mating season. When temperatures turn cold, Bullfrogs burrow into the mud at the bottom of water bodies.
In addition to being large and loud, the Bullfrog is a voracious eater that swallows up insects, earthworms, leeches, spiders, snails, salamanders, other frogs, lizards, small turtles, fish and birds, moles and bats – anything it can catch and fit in its considerable mouth. In turn, the Bullfrog is prey to water snakes, snapping turtles, large fish, herons, opossums, skunks, and raccoons.
