Food Habits of Bullfrogs in Northwest Ohio

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1973-05

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The stomach contents of 132 bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana Shaw, collected monthly from July 1970 to June 1971, were identified and quantified. Members of 16 invertebrate and five vertebrate orders were observed. Of these orders, insects (nine orders) and crayfish were the most frequently observed food items. Snails, turtles, small rodents, salamanders, and fish also were present. No vertebrate or crayfish remains were observed in frogs weighing less than 50 g. Seasonal variation in foods taken, especially in regard to the insect orders, was apparent, with utilization seeming to parallel availability; 20 percent more families of all food organisms were found in spring diets than in those of other seasons. Findings appeared to demonstrate the bullfrog to be an opportunistic predator.

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Author Institution: Department of Biology, Bowling Green State University

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The Ohio Journal of Science. v73, n3 (May, 1973), 185-188