North American Bullfrog

How to identify

• Very large, 3.6–6 inches — Virginia's biggest frog
• Green to olive-brown above, often mottled
• Large circular tympanum (eardrum) behind eye — in males, larger than the eye; in females, equal to the eye
• No dorsolateral ridges running down the back
• Webbed hind feet

About this species

Virginia's largest frog, the bullfrog is a familiar presence on the edges of ponds, lakes, and slow rivers statewide. The deep, resonant 'jug-o-rum' call of males is one of the most recognizable sounds of a Virginia summer. Bullfrogs are voracious predators that will eat nearly anything they can swallow, including other frogs, small snakes, and even birds.

Often confused with

Did you know

"Bullfrogs can remain submerged for hours by absorbing dissolved oxygen directly through their skin — the same mechanism that allows them to overwinter underwater."

Sightings & citizen science

Help document Virginia wildlife by logging your sightings on iNaturalist. Every observation builds the conservation data that researchers and rehabbers depend on.