Gopher Frog (Rana capito)
Photos by J.D. Willson unless otherwise noted
Hear call ...
Gopher Frog: Rana capito
Appearance:
The gopher frog is a stout-bodied frog from two to four inches long found throughout most of the Florida peninsula. They are cream- to brown-colored, with irregular dark spots on their backs and sides.
Gopher frogs derive their common name from the fact that adults commonly use the burrows of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) as hiding places in the Deep South, but in North Carolina (where these tortoises do not occur), ...
Gopher Frog
Description: Gopher frogs (Rana capito) are 2.5 - 3.5 inches long. They are dark gray in color with dark irregular spots on the back, and a mottled belly. They have prominent folds of skin extending down the back.
Gopher Frog - Rana capito
Bullfrog - Rana catesbeiana
Bronze/Green Frogs - Rana clamitans
Pig Frog - Rana grylio
River Frog - Rana hecksheri
Pickerel Frog - Rana palustris
Southern Leopard Frog - Rana sphenocephala
Wood Frog - Rana sylvatica ...
Dusky gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus)
Kanab amber snail (Oxyloma kanabense)
Red wolf (Canis rufus)
Green pitcher plant (Sarracenia oreophila)
Ramsey Canyon leopard frog (Lithobates subaquavocalis)
Hau kuahiwi (Hibiscadelphus woodii) ...
Florida Gopher Frog - Rana capito aesopus (formerly R. areolata aesopus)
Carolina Gopher Frog - Rana capito capito (formerly R. areolata capito)
Dusky Gopher Frog - Rana capito sevosa (formerly R. areolata sevosa) ...
The Dusky Gopher Frog, Rana capito (=areolata) sevosa, is found in temporary ponds in the panhandle. It is similar to the Florida Gopher Frog (below) in appearance (although overall color is brownish and its underside is spotted) and habit.
Other commensals, such as the Florida mouse (Podomys floridana) and gopher frog (Rana capito), may utilize gopher tortoise burrows whether a gopher tortoise is present or not.
More than 30 other animal species, including the gopher frog and eastern indigo snake, depend on this animal’s excavations. Unfortunately, the number of gopher tortoises is declining because of habitat destruction.
 See also: Gopher, Burro, Leopard, Turtle, Toad
  
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