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Q:
I have a 1/3 acre pond that is 4 yrs old. Was walking around the pond the other day and noticed several dead adult leopard frogs. I saw a couple smaller bull frogs and they appeared to be OK. We've had a very mild winter and I do have an aerator wind mill so shouldnt be turn over. Pond depth at the deepest point is 14 feet. Havent seen any dead fish, any reason the frogs are dying?
Question by Kenton. Uploaded on February 09, 2012
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Answers (8)
YES! Kenton, contact your fish & wildlife folks about this. It's believed to be a virus. If you even had several leopard frogs on your pond in the first place consider yourself lucky. They are in the process of disappearing across North America. At my folks' cabin in NW Montana the leopard frogs were so thick when I was a kid that at times the egg masses literally choked out the swimming. I haven't seen a frog there in years.
An interesting story: One day a few years back when I was a park interpreter at Bearpaw Battlefield I was giving a trail talk to a small group of folks. As we approached the bridge over Snake Creek at the end of the tour I began to tell them the sad story of the rapid decline of the leopard and other frog species (including the yellow-legged frog endemic to Yosemite that has declined 95% in just a few years and will in all liklihood disappear by the end of the decade). Just as I finished my blurb, into the middle of the trail right in front of us hops a leopard frog! Talk about serendipity! I had never seen a frog on the creek there till then. We commonly used leopard frogs for bait when I was a kid. Should be a law against it in most places today.
Amphibians in general are very sensitive to environmental problems. As stated above, there is a virus problem in many areas of the country, and your local wildlife people may be able to help you with that. Other possible causes include agricultural runnoff (fertilizers and pesticides), oil contamination, and any other source of pollution. Amphibians will frequently respond to these sorts of problems before fish. Leopard frogs have been on the decline in general for some time, a result of these issues and competition with non-native species, particularly bullfrogs (where they are not native).
Kenton by any chance did a guy in a bath robe ask you to "let his his people go". Lord please forgive for that but I have to get out more.
Carl Huber, there was a delay, but your post did make me chuckle
fezzant, I don't believe it's competition from bullfrogs that's hurting leopard frogs as much as it is their rapacious predation. Those damn things would probably try to eat a baby on a blanket if given the opportunity.
Could possibly be just the odd weather. They came out when it was warm then froze the death that evening.
Carl- I think God Himself may have chuckled a tad bit at your joke!
Kenton- Here are a couple of links that may be of some value,
http://raysweb.net/specialplaces/pages/frog.html
http://www.anapsid.org/leopardfrog.html
I was thinking that maybe they came out of hibernation early as well and with the sudden warm spel here in Ohio and then dropping so rappidly Saturady with snow that they were too early and froze also. Have not seen many pond viruses for frogs in Northern Ohio in the last few years but do remember a die off maybe 10 years ago along the Ohio/Mich line in southeast michigan. Get it checked as soon as you can.And keep them geese of the water as well. They cause a bunch of problems with ponds.
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YES! Kenton, contact your fish & wildlife folks about this. It's believed to be a virus. If you even had several leopard frogs on your pond in the first place consider yourself lucky. They are in the process of disappearing across North America. At my folks' cabin in NW Montana the leopard frogs were so thick when I was a kid that at times the egg masses literally choked out the swimming. I haven't seen a frog there in years.
An interesting story: One day a few years back when I was a park interpreter at Bearpaw Battlefield I was giving a trail talk to a small group of folks. As we approached the bridge over Snake Creek at the end of the tour I began to tell them the sad story of the rapid decline of the leopard and other frog species (including the yellow-legged frog endemic to Yosemite that has declined 95% in just a few years and will in all liklihood disappear by the end of the decade). Just as I finished my blurb, into the middle of the trail right in front of us hops a leopard frog! Talk about serendipity! I had never seen a frog on the creek there till then. We commonly used leopard frogs for bait when I was a kid. Should be a law against it in most places today.
Kenton by any chance did a guy in a bath robe ask you to "let his his people go". Lord please forgive for that but I have to get out more.
Amphibians in general are very sensitive to environmental problems. As stated above, there is a virus problem in many areas of the country, and your local wildlife people may be able to help you with that. Other possible causes include agricultural runnoff (fertilizers and pesticides), oil contamination, and any other source of pollution. Amphibians will frequently respond to these sorts of problems before fish. Leopard frogs have been on the decline in general for some time, a result of these issues and competition with non-native species, particularly bullfrogs (where they are not native).
Carl Huber, there was a delay, but your post did make me chuckle
fezzant, I don't believe it's competition from bullfrogs that's hurting leopard frogs as much as it is their rapacious predation. Those damn things would probably try to eat a baby on a blanket if given the opportunity.
Could possibly be just the odd weather. They came out when it was warm then froze the death that evening.
Carl- I think God Himself may have chuckled a tad bit at your joke!
Kenton- Here are a couple of links that may be of some value,
http://raysweb.net/specialplaces/pages/frog.html
http://www.anapsid.org/leopardfrog.html
I was thinking that maybe they came out of hibernation early as well and with the sudden warm spel here in Ohio and then dropping so rappidly Saturady with snow that they were too early and froze also. Have not seen many pond viruses for frogs in Northern Ohio in the last few years but do remember a die off maybe 10 years ago along the Ohio/Mich line in southeast michigan. Get it checked as soon as you can.And keep them geese of the water as well. They cause a bunch of problems with ponds.
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