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Pickerel Frog
Lithobates palustris
41.448, -73.2672
Field Notes
Description:
A smooth-skinned frog with olive green dorsal rectangular spots, which were arranged in two rows. The underside of its hindlegs were brilliant orange-yellow. It was approximately 5cm long.
Habitat:
I spotted two of these frogs next to a river in a deciduous forest.
Notes:
Pickerel frogs have an excellent defense mechanism - they emit skin secretions which can be irritating to people and toxic to predators, which means that the pickerel frog is the only poisonous frog native to the United States.
I briefly (and gently) handled this frog as part of a homeschool science lesson that I was teaching my kids. I washed my hands afterward and suffered no ill effects.
Species ID Suggestions
Spotted for Missions
Photographed
PublishedNovember 7, 2017
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