While bike riding along Lake Memphremagog in Vermont a couple weeks ago we stopped on a bridge to admire the view across the lake, and to look for wildlife in the small wetland on the opposite side. This is where we have spotted osprey and beavers in the past. This day, in addition to some ducks, the first thing we saw was this bullfrog.
 |
| Bullfrog |
Bullfrogs live in water and like to hang out near the shore, pretending they are hidden underneath the surrounding aquatic plants. While staring down at the water, what we thought was another frog, turned out to be a painted turtle. We are not sure why they were hanging out together. The turtle kept swimming closer. I am not sure if they were thinking of each other as potential prey, but since a frog's bulging eyes allow it to see almost completely behind itself, I'm sure that the frog was keeping a close eye on the turtle.
 |
| Bullfrog and Painted Turtle |
Bullfrogs and turtles have similar diets, feeding on plants, insects, and occasionally small mammals. I read that both can eat small birds, but I'm not sure how they would catch them.
 |
| Hundreds of tadpoles in a small vernal pool |
Bullfrogs can lay up to 20,000 eggs, but obviously only a small number of those will survive to adulthood. It takes two to three years for a bullfrog tadpole to transform into a frog. For those that do survive, they can live up to nine years on average. The painted turtle on the other hand, will typically lay only five to six eggs in a nest, possibly twice in a season. Those that do survive can survive two to four times as long living up to forty years. It is interesting to see how similar, yet how different these two species are, one an amphibian, the other a reptile. Both have been endowed with characteristics that have allowed them to coexist and survive for over 200 millennium.
No comments:
Post a Comment