Frogs That Live in the Swamps

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, there are 29 families of frog species in the order Anura. Anura is the scientific name that represents frogs and toads, and out of these 29, ten families of frogs are found in the United States. Most frogs that live in the swamps are distributed in the southeastern half of the U.S. where the humidity is generally high, for example, Florida, and parts of Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.

  1. Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris)

    • The Pickerel Frog is distributed throughout the southeastern half of the United States along the Mississippi, in eastern Oklahoma, in southeast Kansas and as far north and central as Michigan, Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. Some Pickerel Frogs are found in the northeastern states, such as Maine, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The Pickerel Frog is adapted to live in swamps, rivers, streams and ponds, and will migrate to different water sources depending on the season. They are a relatively small to medium frog that will generally grow between two to three and a half inches in length at adulthood. The skin of the Pickerel Frog contains a poisonous substance that it secretes when under stress. The toxins are believed to be a survival mechanism to ward off predators, but is not dangerous to humans.

    River-Swamp Frog (Rana heckscheri)

    • The River-Swamp Frog lives in swamps, rivers, lakes and streams in the southern half of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and the northern Panhandle region of Florida. They prefer to breed and lay their eggs in water with high levels of vegetation at the surface. During the day, the River-Swamp Frog congregates with other frogs at the swampy edges of the water, but will move into deeper water at night to avoid predators. Male River-Swamp Frogs can reach lengths of up to five inches, while the females will grow slightly larger at six inches.

    American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

    • Except for a few outlying states, like North Dakota, most of South Dakota and Utah and the southernmost tip of Florida, the American Bullfrog can be found in just about every state in the U.S. Historically however, the American Bullfrog was only native to the central and eastern U.S. and was slowly introduced to the other states within the last century. In the Pacific Northwest, the American Bullfrog is considered an invasive species, because they are linked to the decline in native species of other amphibians. Bullfrogs live in and around almost any area that contains a permanent water source and vegetation, including swamps, ponds and bayous. According to the U.S. Department of Interior, the largest frog in North America is the American Bullfrogs and female bullfrogs can growing as large as eight inches in a lifetime. Some large American Bullfrogs are even renowned for consuming small birds and rodents.