The Plains leopard frog (''Lithobates blairi'') is a spotted frog found in North America. It is sometimes referred to as Blair's leopard frog, named after the noted zoologist and University of Texas professor, Dr.

W. Frank Blair William Franklin Blair (25 June 1912 – 1984) was a zoologist and president of the Ecological Society of America. Life Blair was born in Dayton, Texas. He was the eldest of five children of Percy Franklin and Mona Clyde (Patrick) Blair. In 1916, h ...

Description

The Plains leopard frog grows from in length, and is typically brown in color. Their common name originates from the distinctive irregular, dark colored spotting on their backs. They have long, powerful legs, and are capable of leaping great distances. The frog's spots are brown or greenish brown, and are not ringed in white. There is a distinct white line above the sides of the jaw. The lines along the sides of the back are broken toward the rear, with the short broken section closer to the center of the back. There is often a white spot in the center of the tympanum, and a dark spot on the top the snout.

Behavior

Although found throughout semiarid regions, the Plains leopard frog is almost always found in or very near permanent water sources, such as streams, creeks, and ponds. They are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, and primarily

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

, though they will eat almost anything they can overpower and swallow, including other frogs. They are shy animals, often fleeing beneath the water if approached.

Geographic distribution

The Plains leopard frog, as its name implies, is found throughout the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

of the United States, from Indiana west across central and southern plains to South Dakota, south to Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, with a disjunct population in Arizona.

Conservation status

The Plains leopard frog Frog is fairly common throughout its range, and holds no special conservation status, except in the state of Indiana, where it is endangered. This is probably because of the use of fertilizers and pesticides in farms located near this frog's habitats.

Footnotes

References

Amphibian Species of the World: ''Lithobates blairi''
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q28035753

Plains leopard frog The Plains leopard frog (''Lithobates blairi'') is a spotted frog found in North America. It is sometimes referred to as Blair's leopard frog, named after the noted zoology, zoologist and University of Texas professor, Dr. W. Frank Blair. Descri ...

Amphibians of the United States

Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Fauna of the Southwestern United States Amphibians described in 1973