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Rana septentrionalis

Rana septentrionalis Baird, 1854  
Family: Ranidae
Mink Frog
Rana septentrionalis image
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Description: The mink frog is blotchy green and brown with a pale underside and a conspicuous tympanum (eardrum). Males may have a bright yellow throat.
Size: These frogs are about 2 to 3 inches long.
Color: Mink frogs are greenish brown. They have bright green lips.
Sounds: A rapid cut, cut, cut resembling a hammer striking wood. When mink frogs call in chorus it sounds like horses' hooves on a cobblestone road. Males have paired vocal pouches. (MN DNR, 2022)

Habitat: Mink frogs live mostly in/near lakes and rivers. They tend to hang out around water lilies, which they use as a surface for hopping and to hide from predators. In Minnesota, mink frogs are found mainly in the east-central and northeastern parts of the state.
Breeding habitat: This highly aquatic frog breeds in permanent ponds and lakes of the north woods.
Summer habitat: Inhabits borders of forested ponds and lakes where water lilies are plentiful. Individuals frequently move about by hopping from pad to pad.
Winter habitat: Aquatic. (MN DNR, 2022)

 


Reproduction: May to July is the breeding season for the mink frog. Up to 4,000 eggs are laid in loose clusters. Some tadpoles turn into frogs after about three months; others overwinter before transforming into adults. (MN DNR, 2022)

 


Conservation Status: Mink frogs have no special status in Minnesota. (MN DNR, 2022)
Rana septentrionalis
Rana septentrionalis image
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