Common Name: Carpenter Frog
Scientific Name: Rana virgatipes
Family: Ranidae – True Frog family
Locations: United States- Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Virginia
Size: 2 inches (50 mm)
The Carpenter Frog is found along the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey down to Georgia. They are easily identified by their two yellow lines that run down their back. Males of the species have paired vocal sacs. Most of their lives is spent in the water and rarely are found far from their wetland homes.
Carpenter Frogs breed in permanent bodies of water such as marshes, ponds, and swales. Carpenter Frogs and their tadpoles can tolerate more acidic waters than most frogs in the eastern United States so they breed in more acidic bodies of water. The females lay between 200 to 600 eggs for the male to fertilize. After the fertilization, both parents leave their offspring to defend for themselves. The tadpoles take over a year to turn into frogs. They have to survive cold winters in their northern ranges.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assess the Carpenter Frog as the Least Concern for Extinction. They have a decent sized range and are thought to be common throughout it.
