| GOPHER FROG |
| Rana capito |
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Range:
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Southeastern USA. |
 These nocturnal frogs are short, with a stubby appearance. Their backs are marked heavily with dark spots, sometimes depicting a clouded pattern. Their ridges are very distinctive. The gopher frog usually spends daylight hours in burrows, holes, or tunnels that have been created by other animals.
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| Habitat: |
Threatened sandhill communities, flatwoods, and scrub in the Atlantic coastal plain near ponds. |
| Diet: |
Insects, invertebrates, and even other frogs and toads. |
| Status: |
Endangered; habitat loss being a key threat. |
| Approximate Dimensions of Adult: |
Weight: Around 50 to 150 g.
Length: 5.7 - 11.4cm. (2 ¼ - 4 ½"). |
| Lifespan: |
Approx. up to 6 years. |
| Reproduction & Offspring: |
Gopher frogs require open, grassy wetlands for successful reproduction. Adults move to the breeding site in heavy rain, usually February - March in the northern part of the range; possibly year-round in peninsular Florida. Fist-sized egg masses, containing 2,000+ eggs, are typically attached to stems of emergent vegetation. Metamorphosis of tadpoles occurs after about 3 months. |
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