Commonly found in the Southern United States, the Bullfrog is the largest frog in North America. Bullfrog numbers are down because of mankind having a taste for their leg meat, now considered a delicacy. In fact, many southern states have passed laws regulating how many frogs may be caught. Because of this, many frog legs are now imported.

Bullfrogs are known for their distinctive throaty call and their incredible leaping ability. Some have been known to jump as far as 3 to 6 feet in distance. Bullfrogs will defend their territories in a variety of ways, including sparring with another male. At the time of breeding, males will call the females, and the females will respond with a call of their own, hence one of the wondrous sounds of summer. The Bullfrog hibernates in the winter, and in the spring they return from the bottom to sing again.

On average, Bullfrogs will grow to a length of 3 1/2 to 6 inches, and their legs, outstretched, will add another 7-10 inches. It has been reported that captive individuals are not as large as those that live in the wild. Bullfrogs show diversity in their color schemes, most often they are green to greenish-brown, and sometimes with spots. Their undersides are usually light in color, with darker patterning mixed in. Their back feet are webbed. They also have an external eardrum, and the male's being larger than the female's. Their eyes are gold or brown, and their bodies are broad and flat. Bullfrog tadpoles are usually dark brown or slightly green. They usually range between 1 and 3.5 inches in length; they have round bodies and flat tails.

Bulfrogs should have a shallow pool that they can easily get into and out of and a land area. Be very careful about using tap water. Most tap water contains chlorine which can be harmful to most Bullfrogs, and tadpoles are particularly sensitive. To avoid sickness from chlorine, you can either filter your water or let it sit for 1-2 weeks. The amount of water to be added is also important, and it should only be deep enough to cover them about half way. Bullfrogs need something to get a grip on, so it is a good idea to have small stones or pebbles in the bottom. A comfortable temperature for these guys is about 80 degrees.

In captivity they can be fed a variety of insects, feeder fish, and baby mice. Bullfrogs have also been known to eat each other. Be very cautious when trying to house more than one of these guys in an enclosure. They can and often will try to eat anything smaller than they are.

Care of tadpoles is quite different from care of adult frogs. Bullfrog tadpoles should be kept in a full water aquarium or a half water, half land tank. Water should be filtered in either setup, though bio-filters are preferred for full aquariums, and smaller filters are better for the half and half tanks. Fish may be aggressive to tadpoles, so they usually do best with non-aggressive, small fish such as Neon Tetras. Tadpoles can be housed singly, but they tend to remain inactive. They do best in groups of two to four individuals. When kept in small groups they tend to swim together, and are usually a lot more active. Be careful of overcrowding. Tadpoles can be fed flake food, tadpole pellets, water plants, and/or algae, when they get older they will also eat bloodworms.

The female Bullfrog lays as many as 20, 000 eggs that mingle in with the water plants on the surface.

Like all frogs, the Bullfrog begins its life as a tadpole. The tadpole stage will last between 6 months and 2 years, depending on the climate. When they are first born they cannot swim, and are usually seen clinging to plants. A few days after birth, they will begin to swim by wiggling their tales. Later they will begin to grow hind legs. Once the legs are fully developed they will use them to swim and push their way through the water. Around this time development will continue and they will begin changing into frogs. Skin will grow over the gills, and they will start developing lungs. The front legs will also begin to grow. The body will also absorb the tail, and they usually stop eating at this time. it has been reported that tadpoles should not be kept with Firebelly Newts because the toxins the newts let off will kink the tadpole's tails and eventually kill them.