Green Frog

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Amphibia

Order: Anura

Family: Ranidae

Genus: Lithobates

Species: Lithobates clamitans

Despite their name, Green Frogs can be anywhere from dark green to olive to even brown. No matter the colour of their body, though, these frogs usually have a green head and bright green upper lip. If you don’t see them at first, try listening for them in the spring! This is the time for males to try to attract a mate with their call, and their distinctive call sounds like a single, plucked banjo string. 

A tadpole is the larval form of an amphibian. This particular tadpole is in the process of transitioning into an adult frog that we are familiar with. Anuran (frogs and toads) tadpoles are usually fully aquatic and herbivorous. As such, they have gills to breathe underwater and a long spiral gut (which can sometimes be seen in the translucent bodies of a tadpole) to better digest plant material. As they age and start to turn into a frog, it gradually grows limbs (starting with the back legs first which you see here) and reabsorbs the tail. At this stage, it is starting to develop lungs so you can often see them coming up to the surface of the water to take breaths of air!