Indian Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus)

Common Name: Indian Bullfrog or Indus Valley Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Hoplobactrachus tigerinus
Family: Dicroglossidae
Location: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka
Introduced Locations: Madagascar, Maldives, and India’s Andaman Islands
Size: 6.9 inches (170 mm)

Indian Bullfrogs are usually not the bright yellow color pictured above. The males change to that color during the breeding season to attract mates. This is the usual, boring color of the frogs.

The breeding season is during the monsoon season. The males will call from the shallows of water bodies.

These frogs spend most of their time on land, looking for food. They are voracious eaters, feeding on anything they fit in their mouth including other frogs, mice, small birds, and snakes. They also have vomerine teeth to hold the food in their mouth.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the bullfrog as the Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range and are thought to be numerous throughout it.

The Indian Bullfrog has been introduced to other countries. Their size and appetite could potentially cause serious environmental damage to native species. The tadpoles of the bullfrog even eat other tadpoles of other species. Removing these bullfrogs from introduced habitat is necessary to help protect native species.