Challenge of the Mind 

Nayeli Alvarez

Mr. Skipper

Encounters 8 

March 5, 2022

 Jeremiah May Be Your Friend But 

The American Bullfrog Is Taking Over The land

Introduction

When you think about frogs, you usually think of them as gross, nasty and slimy bug eating creatures, but the American Bullfrog is not the typical animal you think it is. The American Bullfrog is one of the largest known species of frog. In some places, bullfrog legs are considered to be a type of food source. This incredibly large species of frog is also considered to be an invasive species. It has been cultivated globally for its edible legs and has been introduced and spread to many regions around the globe as a food source and through aquaculture escape(¨American Bullfrog¨). People should care more about the invasiveness of Bullfrogs because they are a highly invasive species. The spread of bullfrogs needs to stop because the American bullfrogs can  cause a decrease in many native species because of the type of fungus they carry. Although Bullfrogs may seem like innocent creatures, they are causing some environmental damage to this world.

Taxonomy & Description

  The bullfrog is a very strange animal. Bullfrogs are considered to be one of the largest frogs in the U.S. Bullfrogs can weigh over 1 pound, and they can grow up to 8 inches in length. Adult bullfrogs sometimes weigh around 2 pounds. They have wide heads, hind legs with webbed feet. Bullfrogs also have stout and long bodies. Bullfrogs have a dark green color with brown on their backs, and yellow on their stomach. Bullfrogs sometimes have a patchy skin discoloration on their backs. Male bullfrogs have larger eardrums that are approximately twice as large as their eyes, but females have eardrums the same size as their eyes (¨American Bullfrog¨). You can tell apart a male and a female bullfrog because males are smaller than females, and they have a yellow throat. Tadpoles are about 6 inches in length, and they have dark spots on their backs. The bullfrog is part of the eukaryotic domain. Bullfrogs are eukaryotic because they have a nucleus, and they are multicellular. The kingdom that the bullfrog is in is the metazoa or animalia which are animals that are multicellular. A bullfrogs Phylum is the chordata. For an animal to be part of the chordata phylum means animals that have a flexible rod that supports their backs, and the bullfrogs subphylum is the vertebrata which are animals that have backbones. The type of class of the bullfrog is the amphibian class. To be part of the amphibian class means that all amphibian animals live on land but they breed on water. Amphibians live on water and land. The bullfrog is an amphibian and they need to live in moist environments or places that have water to be able to live (Rana Cateisbana). 

Introduction to Non-Native Habitat 

Bullfrogs are originally from the eastern U.S and they are also from southern Quebec and Ontario. Bullfrogs have now been spread all around the U.S and around the world. This species of frog has been seen in many places, for example, bullfrogs have been seen in  Europe, South America, and Asia. The frogs have been seen in both east and west parts of the U.S for example  Oregon, Washington, and California.”Bullfrogs were introduced as a food source (frog legs) in the 1900, they were also accidentally introduced as a contaminant in fish stock. Since then, they have spread in natural areas by escape or release” (American Bullfrog). Bullfrogs like to spread to new areas by swimming or when they are taken away by water flows. The bullfrog species escape from laboratories, frog farming operations, research facilities, and even escape from their pet owners. Today, bullfrogs have been spread all the way to Hawaii and other places around the U.S and the world. The places where bullfrogs are native to are the eastern and central United States. Bullfrogs are all over california, but they are absent because of the Sierra Nevada Mountains high elevation. Bullfrogs are considered to be native in the eastern of the U.S, but they are invasive in the western U.S, and in many other continents. Bullfrogs like to live in both natural and manmade habitats. They like to live in the warm parts of the United States, and that's why most of them live in the western and eastern areas. In the eastern parts of the U.S, there are many bullfrogs that are currently living in places where the temperatures are warm, there are bodies of water like lakes, rivers and such more. Bullfrogs have also been seen in many places and spread throughout because of a limited amount of predators like dragonflies, crickets and such more (American Bullfrog).  

Adverse Effects 

There are too many Bullfrogs all around the globe today. Bullfrogs are taking over more than half of the U.S. This species of frog  has been introduced to the U.S, and  for their delicious legs. Bullfrogs are also used as a contaminant fish stock. This species of frog has had adverse effects on us. Bullfrogs had adverse effects on us ecologically, environmentally, and in an economic way. Bullfrogs have had many ecological impacts on us. For example, In ecosystems where they have been introduced, their presence has been blamed for the serious decline of native frogs, snakes, and amphibians, whose young fall prey to adult bullfrogs(American Bullfrog, Sea Grant). Bullfrogs are also known to spread Ranavirosis that is infecting native frogs internationally. Bullfrogs can sometimes carry other diseases like the cytrid fungus that can affect amphibians. The chytrid fungus is very deadly because it causes the skin of organisms and animals to swell or thicken which can decrease many other of  the frog species around the world. Chytrid fungus is a disease of frogs that can make the skin swell up until the frogs stop breathing and kill them. Approximately half of 5 million frogs that are shipped to the U.S each year have been infected with chytrid fungus. American Bullfrogs have many adverse effects. For example, bullfrogs have also had economic effects. In some areas, bullfrogs are used to eat its legs, and its meat. Bullfrogs are also bred for their legs. Bullfrogs can damage water supply, and infrastructure in any nearby water area. The American Bullfrog has also made an environmental impact. Bullfrogs have made an environmental impact because it is considered a superior animal in some new environments, because of the amount of predators they consume. For example, a dragonfly and sometimes bullfrogs eat their own young. This means that bullfrogs make an environmental impact on other wildlife because some species are sensitive and can go extinct(American Bullfrog, Cabi).

Study, Control, and Eradication

The American Bullfrogs has spread throughout many places since it was first introduced as a type of food source. This species has then spread all throughout the world, and has now become a problem.Today, there are too many of this species and has now been considered and become an invasive species. Some of the different types of things that people can do to stop the spread of bullfrogs is to not release them in any natural areas, inform others about it, inform others about how you can prevent the spread, and eradicate the bullfrogs when they are found in the wild. Some other things that are being done about the bullfrogs spread is by having some management strategies. "One of the most important aspects of control is to kill adult females as early in the spring as possible (when they first emerge from hibernation) to prevent the large number of eggs that they disperse ''(American Bullfrogs, Seagrant). When somebody spots Bullfrog eggs, it is recommended that it is best if you smash the eggs. People can easily tell apart a bullfrog egg from any other species because of their larger size and appearance. American Bullfrogs need to decrease in population or they will cause more damage to the planet.

Works Cited

“American Bullfrog.” Nature Mapping, naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/american_bullfrog_k6.html#:~:text=How%20can%20you%20to%20a,much%20 larger%20than%20the%20 eye

“American Bullfrog.” Sea Grant.Oregon State U, seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sites/seagrant.oregonstate.edu/files/bf-species-guide.pdf. 

 “California's Invaders: American Bullfrogs.” California Department of Fish and Wildlife, wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species/Bullfro

 “Rana catesbeiana (American Bullfrog).” Cabi, www .cabi.org/isc/datasheet/66618.

The Kings of the Pond  

Jeremiah was a bullfrog 

Was an invasive species of mine

I never understood his scientific name ¨Rana Catesbeiana¨

But I helped him a-eat any type of insects

And he always had some mighty fine jump of 2 meters

Leaping with joy in the forest

All the Bullfrogs

Joy to the Bullfrogs through the deep green forest

Joy to Bullfrogs and me

And if I were the king of the pond 

Tell you what I’d do 

I’d set them free for them to flee to let them be

For them to sunbathe out on a lilypad 

Make some bullfrog legs for you 

Their cooked legs considered a tasty type of food source 

I could eat them in a millisecond, too.

Eat them now, joy to the bullfrogs

All the bullfrogs

You know I love bullfrogs as if they were my own family

Love to weigh over 1-2 pounds

“They are the largest species of frog in the U.S.”

The bullfrog is a contagious beast 

Infected with chytrid fungus that infects other creatures

Causing their skin to swell

Choking with their swelling thick skin

Until their last breath is taken 

6 inches as a tadpole

To over 8 as an adult 

Oh how far bullfrogs have traveled

Originally from eastern U.S and southern Quebec and Ontario

 Now appear all over the globe 

 Growing and spreading so fast

They might be invasive but having a blast 

Joy to the bullfrogs

Joy to the bullfrogs and me