Pool Frog
colours
Description
This frog became extinct in Britain in the late 1990s and has recently been reintroduced from Sweden.
Pool frogs are variable in colour from green to brown but in the U.K. are predominately brown with dark brown irregular blotches over their back with a lighter, sometimes yellow dorsal stripe. Although there may be some green colouration in some individuals, this is restricted to the head area. Males are smaller than the females. During the breeding season Pool Frogs can be distinguished from the Common Frog by the appearance of white vocal sacs on each side of it's mouth, which it uses to call females.
Primary Image
Scientific Name
Rana lessonae
Distribution
Recently reintroduced in East Anglia
Life Span
Habitat
Prefer open, sunny ponds adjacent to woodland or in meadows.
Length
60-70 mm
Confusion Species
Reproduction
Pool frogs are territorial and communicate by means of a variety of calls made by the white vocal sacs on each side of it's mouth. The mating call is a series of soft burbling/purring calls, which last up to two seconds, the pitch rising throughout the call. The femal lays between 600 - 3000 eggs in several batches over the season.
Also Known As
Diet
Behaviour
Hibernates throughout the Winter, often in the mud at the bottom of ponds.
Status
Did You Know?
This species of frog can often be found sunbathing at the side of pools, even in the hottest weather.