Marsh Frog

Quick Take

• This frog has a built-in "antifreeze" system that lets it survive winter underwater, and the way it works is not what you'd expect. See the hibernation process →
• Marsh frogs ride large mammals for food, and the mammals actually benefit from the arrangement too. Explore the buffalo relationship →
• Its scientific name is literally a joke, and the punchline reveals something strange about how this frog sounds. Unpack the scientific name →
• Marsh frog tadpoles can actually grow longer than the adults, but that turns out to be only half the story. See tadpole development details →

Marsh frogs live in areas across Europe and parts of Russia as well as in regions of Saudi Arabia. They are carnivores, feeding on flies, worms, slugs, spiders, and dragonflies. These frogs are excellent swimmers and expert jumpers. They have slick, dark green, brown, or gray skin featuring a striped or spotted pattern. One particular call of this amphibian has earned it the nickname ‘laughing frog.’

5 Incredible Marsh Frog Facts

• These frogs are active during the day and night.
• Large marsh frogs sometimes eat fish and smaller amphibians.
• They hibernate during the winter months.
• When they detect danger, they retreat to deeper water.
• They can live up to 22 years in the wild.

Classification and Scientific Name

The scientific name of these frogs is Pelophylax ridibundus. The Greek word Pelophylax breaks down to mud (pelos) and sentinel (phulax). The Latin word ridibundus means laughing. In fact, laughing frog is one of the alternate names of this amphibian.

It belongs to the Ranidae family and the class Amphibia.

Appearance & Behavior

The slippery skin of this frog can be brown, gray, or dark green. It can be striped or spotted, and has eyes on top of its head. Males grow to an average of 4 inches long, while females are about 4.03 inches long. Some of the largest marsh frogs can reach 7 inches in length. Both males and females weigh from 0.4 to 0.5 ounces. To visualize the size, imagine a bowling pin divided into four equal parts — one part equals the length of a 4-inch marsh frog. A marsh frog weighing 0.5 ounces is about the same weight as one AA battery.

Pool frogs are similar to marsh frogs. They have a similar call and are carnivores. However, pool frogs are smaller and have dark brown skin with black splotches.

The long back legs of these frogs help to make them great jumpers. Their webbed feet allow them to swim expertly through the water. Their speed can help these frogs to escape predators. Plus, the dark color of its skin allows this amphibian to blend in with its swampy habitat.

They are social creatures. A group containing dozens of frogs is called an army. They are non-aggressive except when males are competing with other males for territory.

Habitat

These frogs live throughout Europe and Asia. They can be found in parts of Russia and Saudi Arabia. The habitat of the frog includes lakes, drainage channels, ponds, rivers, and streams. Of course, they also live in marshes. These amphibians are in the water most of the time, but can also be seen sunbathing on the shore.

These frogs go into hibernation during the winter months. They burrow into the mud at the bottom of a creek, lake, or pond. While they are hibernating, these frogs have increased glucose levels that prevent them from freezing as the temperature drops. Think of the glucose in a frog’s body as its personal supply of antifreeze.

In spring, the frogs migrate from deep water in a lake or pond to shallower water to find a mate.

Diet

Marsh frogs are carnivores. They eat mostly insects.

What do marsh frogs eat?

The diet of the frog includes flies, spiders, worms, slugs, and dragonflies. Some of the larger frogs of this species are able to eat smaller frogs and even mice. These frogs eat an amount of food equaling 10 to 20% of their body weight.

Did you know there is a connection between water buffalo and marsh frogs? Water buffalo stand in the deep water of streams and lakes where marsh frogs live. The frogs hop onto the back of a water buffalo to eat the flies that live in the thick coat of these large mammals. A marsh frog gets to eat a meal of flies while the water buffalo gets to have its coat cleaned. As a bonus, a water buffalo’s thick coat serves to warm these frogs on colder days. This is called a mutualistic relationship between animals.

Predators and Threats

Herons, snakes, raccoons, lizards, and fish are all predators of these frogs. As you can see, most of its predators have easy access to the watery habitat of this amphibian. A heron can wade through the water and grab a marsh frog with its long beak. Many snakes can swim, making it easy to move quickly through the water to capture marsh frogs.

Raccoons like to hunt for prey by wandering along the shores of lakes and streams. This is where they are likely to catch a marsh frog that’s sitting on the shore.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, this frog seems to be very resistant to environmental pollution. In fact, populations of this frog are known to live in polluted waters. The official conservation status of marsh frogs is Least Concern, with a stable population.

Marsh frog populations in Turkey are caught for food. This poses a threat to frog populations in that region.

What eats marsh frogs?

Some of the predators of these frogs include herons and other birds, as well as snakes, large fish, lizards, and raccoons.

Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

The breeding season of the marsh frog takes place in early spring. Males try to get the attention of females using a distinct call. After pairing up, a female lays up to 1,000 eggs in a shallow area of water. Eggs are laid in a floating mass that usually attaches itself to plant life in the water. Many frog eggs are eaten by birds, fish, and small mammals like raccoons. Frogs lay a lot of eggs to increase the chances that at least some of their young will make it to adulthood. The eggs hatch in 6 to 21 days. Marsh frogs take different partners every breeding season and play no role in caring for the eggs.

Marsh frog babies, also known as tadpoles, can grow to be 7.32 inches long. After hatching, the tadpoles eat their egg sac for nourishment. As the tadpole grows, it starts eating particles of algae and even dead insects. It takes 12 to 16 weeks for a tadpole to grow into an adult marsh frog with a striped or spotted pattern. This is called metamorphosis. Once the tadpole’s tail shrinks to a tiny stub, it is known as a froglet.

Marsh frogs can live up to 10 years in the wild.

Population

Though the exact number of these frogs is unknown, biologists consider their population to be abundant. Officially, their conservation status is Least Concern, with a stable population. These frogs are protected by law in many countries.