American bullfrog

American bullfrog Temporal range: 4.9–0 Ma[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Middle Miocene - Recent
Adult male
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Secure  (NatureServe)[3]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Ranidae
Genus:	Lithobates
Species:	L. catesbeianus
Binomial name
Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802)
Natural range – blue; Introduced range – red
Synonyms
List Rana catesbeiana Shaw, 1802 Rana pipiens – Daudin, 1802 Rana taurina Cuvier, 1817 Rana mugiens Merrem, 1820 Rana scapularis Harlan, 1826 Rana conspersa LeConte, 1855 Rana catesbyana Cope, 1889 Rana catesbyana Werner, 1909 Rana (Rana) catesbeiana – Boulenger, 1920 Rana nantaiwuensis Hsü, 1930 Rana mugicus Angel, 1947 Rana catesbyana Smith, 1978 Rana (Rana) catesbeiana Dubois, 1987 Rana (Aquarana) catesbeiana Dubois, 1992 Rana (Novirana, Aquarana) catesbeiana Hillis & Wilcox, 2005 Lithobates (Aquarana) catesbeianus Dubois, 2006 Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana Fouquette and Dubois, 2014

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and lakes. Bullfrogs can also be found in manmade habitats such as pools, koi ponds, canals, ditches and culverts. The bullfrog gets its name from the sound the male makes during the breeding season, which sounds similar to a bull bellowing. The bullfrog is large and is commonly eaten throughout its range, especially in the southern United States where they are plentiful.

Their presence as a food source has led to bullfrogs being distributed around the world outside of their native range. Bullfrogs have been introduced into the Western United States, South America, Western Europe, China, Japan, and southeast Asia. In these places they are invasive species due to their voracious appetite and the large number of eggs they produce, having a negative effect on native amphibians and other fauna. Bullfrogs are very skittish which makes capture difficult and so they often become established.

Other than for food, bullfrogs are also used for dissection in science classes. Albino bullfrogs are sometimes kept as pets, and bullfrog tadpoles are often sold at pond or fish stores.