Mink Frog
(Rana septentrionalis)
Mink frogs are two to three inches in length with brown, green, or olive backs and irregular blotches. They have poorly developed dorsolateral folds and in some specimens they are sometimes not even present. Their hind legs have round spots. Male mink frogs generally have larger tympanums than females mink frogs. Males will also often have a bright yellowish throat compared to the pale white or yellow throat of the females.
The mink frog can be found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Michigan, and Upstate New York in the United States. They are also found in Canada from Quebec to Manitoba. The mink frog is primarily aquatic and prefers permanent wetlands. They can be found occasionally on the ground is conditions are damp enough. You are most likely to find mink frogs where there are a lot of lilies. The lilies provide protection from predators for the mink frog.
Breeding for mink frogs does not begin until late May an usually lasts through August with most eggs laid in June and July. An average female mink frog will lay between 500 and 4000 eggs in one cluster which is laid as deep as three feet below water. This egg cluster will sink to the bottom before the tadpoles hatch. The larval stage for the mink frogs lasts about one year and females do not become sexually matures until their second year. Male mink frogs are sexually mature after one year.
The diet for mink frogs consist mostly of spiders, snails, dragonflies, beetles, and other invertebrates. Tadpoles eat mostly algae until their metamorphosis.