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Northern leopard frog
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{{Short description|Species of amphibian}} {{Speciesbox | name = Northern leopard frog | image = Lithobates pipiens.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group |date=2022 |title=''Lithobates pipiens'' |volume=2022 |page=e.T79079800A3072377 |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref> | status2 = G5 | status2_system = TNC | status2_ref = <ref name=NS>{{cite NatureServe |id=2.101454 |title=''Lithobates pipiens'' |access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref> | genus = Lithobates | species = pipiens | authority = ([[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber]], 1782) | range_map = Lithobates pipiens map.svg | range_map_caption = Range of ''L. pipiens'' }} '''''Lithobates pipiens'''''<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/ |title= American Museum of Natural History: Amphibian Species of the World 5.5, an Online Reference |author=Frost, Darrel |author-link=Darrel R. Frost |year=2011 |work=Herpetology |publisher=The American Museum of Natural History |access-date=2013-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Frost|first=D.-R.|display-authors=etal|date=2009|title=Response to the Point Of View of Gregory B. Pauly, David M. Hillis, and David C. Cannatella, by the Anuran Subcommittee of the SSRA/HL/ASIH Scientific and Standard English Names List|journal=Herpetologica|volume=65|issue=2|doi=10.1655/09-009R1.1|pages=136β153|s2cid=55147982}}</ref><ref name="ITIS">Integrated Taxonomic Information System [Internet] 2012. [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=775108 ''Lithobates pipiens''] [updated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Dec 26] Available from: www.itis.gov/</ref> formerly '''''Rana pipiens''''',<ref>Hillis & Wilcox (2005), Hillis (2007), Stuart (2008), Pauly et al. (2009), AmphibiaWeb (2016)</ref><ref name="Yuan16">{{Cite journal|last=Yuan|first=Z.-Y.|display-authors=etal|date=2016|title=Spatiotemporal diversification of the true frogs (genus Rana): A historical framework for a widely studied group of model organisms.|journal=Systematic Biology|volume=65|issue=5|doi=10.1093/sysbio/syw055|pmid=27288482|pages=824β42|doi-access=free|hdl=2292/43460|hdl-access=free}}</ref> commonly known as the '''northern leopard frog''', is a [[species]] of [[leopard frog]] from the [[true frog]] [[Family (biology)|family]], native to parts of [[Canada]] and the [[United States]]. It is the [[List of U.S. state amphibians|state amphibian]] of [[Minnesota]] and [[Vermont]]. ==Description== [[File:Northern Leopard Frog.JPG|thumb|left|Young northern leopard frog]] The northern leopard frog is a fairly large species of frog, reaching about {{Convert|11|cm|in|abbr=on}} in snout-to-vent length. It varies from green to brown in [[Dorsum (biology)|dorsal]] color, with large, dark, circular spots on its back, sides, and legs.<ref name="NLF Details">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100203142339/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/northern-leopard-frog/ Northern Leopard Frog ''Rana pipiens''], National Geographic. Retrieved 2015-03-28</ref> Each spot is normally bordered by a lighter ring. A pair of dorsolateral folds starting from the back of the eye runs parallel to each other down the back. These dorsolateral folds are often lighter or occasionally pinkish in colour. Also, a pale stripe runs from the nostril, under the eye and [[tympanum (zoology)|tympanum]], terminating at the shoulder. The [[ventral]] surface is white or pale green. The iris is golden and toes are webbed. [[Tadpole]]s are dark brown or grey, with light blotches on the underside. The tail is pale tan. ==Color variations== [[File:Color Variations of the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens).JPG|thumb|left|Two burnsi morphs, a green morph, and a brown morph of the northern leopard frog]] [[File:Northern Leopard Forg.jpg|thumb|Brown morph northern leopard frog in a wood chip pile in Iowa]] The northern leopard frog has several different color variations, with the most common two being the green and the brown morphs, with another morph known as the burnsi morph. Individuals with the burnsi morph coloration lack spots on their backs, but may or may not retain them on their legs. They can be bright green or brown and have yellow dorsal folds.<ref name=herpnet>{{cite web|url=http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=43|title=Northern Leopard Frog ''Rana pipens''|publisher=HerpNet|access-date=2013-10-30}}</ref> Albinism also appears in this species, but is very rare. They can also be blue, and this is quite rare also.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/rare-blue-northern-leopard-frog-found-in-grant-county/article_02345ac6-2911-11ef-970f-87e4e4a74e5e.html | title=Rare blue northern leopard frog found in Grant County | date=12 June 2024 }}</ref> ==Ecology and behavior== [[File:Northern Leopard Frog Ontario 1.JPG|thumb|left|Near [[Welland Canal]], [[Ontario]]]] Northern leopard frogs have a wide range of habitats. They are found in permanent ponds, swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams throughout forest, open, and urban areas.<ref name="NLF Info">[http://www.fws.gov/nevada/nv_species/nleopard_frog.html Northern Leopard Frog (''Lithobates pipiens'')], Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office. Retrieved 2015-03-28.</ref> They normally inhabit water bodies with abundant aquatic vegetation. In the summer, they often abandon ponds and move to grassy areas and lawns. They are well adapted to cold and can be found above {{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on}} [[above mean sea level]]. Males make a short, snore-like call from water during spring and summer. The northern leopard frog breeds in the spring (MarchβJune). Up to 6500 eggs are laid in water, and tadpoles complete development within the breeding pond. Tadpoles are light brown with black spots, and development takes 70β110 days, depending on conditions. Metamorph frogs are {{convert|2|-|3|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and resemble the adult. This species was once quite common through parts of western Canada and the United States until declines started occurring during the 1970s. Although the definitive cause of this decline is unknown, habitat loss and fragmentation, environmental contaminants, introduced fish, drought, and disease have been proposed as mechanisms of decline and are likely preventing species' recovery in many areas.<ref name="NLF Details"/> Many populations of northern leopard frogs have not yet recovered from these declines. Northern leopard frogs are preyed upon by many different animals, such as [[snake]]s, [[raccoon]]s, other [[frog]]s, and even [[human]]s. They do not produce distasteful skin secretions and rely on speed to evade predation. They eat a wide variety of animals, including crickets, flies, worms, and smaller frogs. Using their large mouths, they can even swallow birds and garter snakes. In one case, a [[bat]] was recorded as prey of this frog.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Mikula | first1 = P | year = 2015 | title = Fish and amphibians as bat predators | journal = European Journal of Ecology | volume = 1 | issue = 1| pages = 71β80 | doi = 10.1515/eje-2015-0010 | doi-access = free }}</ref> This species is similar to the [[pickerel frog]] (''Lithobates palustris'') and the [[southern leopard frog]] (''Lithobates sphenocephalus''). ==Research== ===Medical=== The northern leopard frog produces specific [[ribonuclease]]s to its [[oocyte]]s. Those enzymes are potential drugs for [[cancer]]. One such molecule, called [[ranpirnase]] (onconase), is in clinical trials as a treatment for [[pleural]] mesothelioma and [[lung]] tumors. Another, [[amphinase]], has been described as a potential treatment for [[brain]] tumors.<ref>[http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-06/uob-fmc062607.php Frog molecule could provide drug treatment for brain tumors]</ref> ===Neuroscience=== The northern leopard frog has been a preferred species for making discoveries about basic properties of [[neurons]] since the 1950s. The [[neuromuscular junction]] of the [[sciatic nerve]] fibers of the [[sartorius muscle]] of this frog has been the source of initial data about the [[nervous system]].<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=14946732 |year=1952 |last1=Fatt |first1=P |last2=Katz |first2=B |title=Spontaneous subthreshold activity at motor nerve endings |volume=117 |issue=1 |pages=109β28 |pmc=1392564 |journal=The Journal of Physiology|doi=10.1113/jphysiol.1952.sp004735}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=13175199 |year=1954 |last1=Del Castillo |first1=J |last2=Katz |first2=B |title=Quantal components of the end-plate potential |volume=124 |issue=3 |pages=560β73 |pmc=1366292 |journal=The Journal of Physiology |doi=10.1113/jphysiol.1954.sp005129}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |year=1959|last1=Lettvin |first1=J.Y. |last2=Maturana |first2=H.R. |last3=McCulloch |first3=W.S. |last4=Pitts |first4=W.H. |title=What the Frog's Eye Tells the Frog's Brain |volume=47 |issue=11 |pages=1940β51 |journal=Proceedings of the IRE|doi=10.1109/JRPROC.1959.287207 |s2cid=8739509 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=14278409 |year=1965 |last1=Katz |first1=B |last2=Miledi |first2=R |title=The Measurement of Synaptic Delay, and the Time Course of Acetylcholine Release at the Neuromuscular Junction |volume=161 |pages=483β95 |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B |doi=10.1098/rspb.1965.0016 |issue=985|bibcode=1965RSPSB.161..483K |s2cid=8663912 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=171380 |year=1975 |last1=Kuffler |first1=SW |last2=Yoshikami |first2=D |title=The number of transmitter molecules in a quantum: An estimate from iontophoretic application of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular synapse |volume=251 |issue=2 |pages=465β82 |pmc=1348438 |journal=The Journal of Physiology |doi=10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp011103}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=6033586 |year=1967 |last1=Hille |first1=B |title=The selective inhibition of delayed potassium currents in nerve by tetraethylammonium ion |volume=50 |issue=5 |pages=1287β302 |pmc=2225709 |journal=The Journal of General Physiology |doi=10.1085/jgp.50.5.1287}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=4543940 |year=1973 |last1=Anderson |first1=CR |last2=Stevens |first2=CF |title=Voltage clamp analysis of acetylcholine produced end-plate current fluctuations at frog neuromuscular junction |volume=235 |issue=3 |pages=655β91 |pmc=1350786 |journal=The Journal of Physiology |doi=10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010410}}</ref> ===Muscle physiology and biomechanics=== The northern leopard frog is a popular species for ''[[in vitro]]'' experiments in [[muscle]] physiology and [[biomechanics]] due to the ease of accessibility for investigators in its native range and the ability of the [[sartorius muscle]] to stay alive ''in vitro'' for several hours. Furthermore, the reliance of the frog on two major modes of locomotion ([[jumping]] and [[Aquatic locomotion|swimming]]) allows for understanding how muscle properties contribute to organismal performance in each of these modes. ==Range== Northern leopard frogs occur from [[Great Slave Lake]] and [[Hudson Bay]], Canada, south to [[Kentucky]] and [[New Mexico]], USA.<ref>Stebbins, R.C. (1985). ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians.'' Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.</ref><ref>Conant, R. and Collins, J.T. (1991). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America.'' Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.</ref> It is also found in [[Panama]], where it is endemic to the central cordillera and western Pacific lowlands, although this is most likely an undescribed species.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> They occupy grasslands, lakeshores, and marshes. ==See also== {{Portal|Frogs}} *[[Southern leopard frog]] *[[Plains leopard frog]] *[[Rio Grande leopard frog]] *[[Lowland leopard frog]] *[[Relict leopard frog]] *[[American bullfrog]] *[[Pickerel frog]] ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==Further reading== * AmphibiaWeb, available at http://amphibiaweb.org/ * Ankley GT, Tietge JE, DeFoe DL, Jensen KM, Holcombe GW, Durhan EJ, Diamond SA. (1998). "Effects of ultraviolet light and methoprene on survival and development of ''Rana pipiens'' ". ''Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry'' '''17''' (12): 2530-2542. ([http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.5620171222/abstract;jsessionid=85E50CE5CEE0EEF4E3D884D57C9EF68A.f03t04?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false abstract])*{{cite journal |pages=39β63 |doi=10.1146/annurev.es.19.110188.000351 |jstor=2097147 |title=Systematics of the ''Rana pipiens'' Complex: Puzzle and Paradigm |year=1988 |author=Hillis DM |author-link=David Hillis |journal=Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics |volume=19}} * {{cite journal | last1 = Hillis | first1 = D. M. | year = 2007 | title = Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life | url = http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/679.pdf | journal = [[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.]] | volume = 42 | issue = 2 | pages = 331β338 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.08.001 | pmid = 16997582 | bibcode = 2007MolPE..42..331H | access-date = 2016-07-09 | archive-date = 2011-09-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927114556/http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/679.pdf | url-status = dead }} *{{cite journal |jstor=2413277 |last1=Hillis |first1=David M. |last2=Frost |first2=John S. |last3=Wright |first3=David A. |title=Phylogeny and Biogeography of the ''Rana pipiens'' Complex: A Biochemical Evaluation |volume=32 |issue=2 |journal=Systematic Zoology |year=1983 |pages=132β43 |doi=10.1093/sysbio/32.2.132 }} * {{cite journal | last1 = Hillis | first1 = D. M. | last2 = Wilcox | first2 = T. P. | year = 2005 | title = Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (''Rana'') | journal = [[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.]] | volume = 34 | issue = 2| pages = 299β314 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007 | pmid=15619443| bibcode = 2005MolPE..34..299H }} * {{cite journal | last1 = Pauly | first1 = Greg B. | last2 = Hillis | first2 = David M. | last3 = Cannatella | first3 = David C. | year = 2009 | title = Taxonomic freedom and the role of official lists of species names | url = http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/1225.pdf | journal = Herpetologica | volume = 65 | issue = 2| pages = 115β128 | doi = 10.1655/08-031r1.1 | s2cid = 283839 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110726155045/http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/1225.pdf | archive-date = 2011-07-26 }} *[[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber JCD von]]. (1782). "''Beytrag zur Naturgeschichte der FrΓΆsche'' ". ''[[Der Naturforscher]], Halle'' '''18''': 182-193. (''Rana pipiens'', new species). (in [[German language|German]]). * {{cite journal | last1 = Stuart | first1 = Bryan L | year = 2008 | title = The phylogenetic problem of ''Huia'' (Amphibia: Ranidae) | journal = [[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.]] | volume = 46 | issue = 1| pages = 49β60 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2007.09.016 | pmid = 18042407 | bibcode = 2008MolPE..46...49S }} * {{cite journal | last1 = Yuan | first1 = Z.-Y. | last2 = Zhou | first2 = W.-W. | last3 = Chen | first3 = X. | last4 = Poyarkov | first4 = N. A. | last5 = Chen | first5 = H.-M. | last6 = Jang-Liaw | first6 = N.-H. | last7 = Chou | first7 = W.-H. | last8 = Iizuka | first8 = K. | last9 = Min | first9 = M.-S. | last10 = Kuzmin | first10 = S. L. | last11 = Zhang | first11 = Y.-P. | last12 = Cannatella | first12 = D. C. | last13 = Hillis | first13 = D. M. | last14 = Che | first14 = J. | year = 2016 | title = Spatiotemporal diversification of the true frogs (genus ''Rana''): A historical framework for a widely studied group of model organisms | journal = Systematic Biology | volume = 65| issue = 5| pages = 824β42| doi = 10.1093/sysbio/syw055 | pmid=27288482| doi-access = free | hdl = 2292/43460 | hdl-access = free }} ==External links== *{{Wikispecies-inline|Rana pipiens|Lithobates pipiens}} *{{Commons category-inline|Lithobates pipiens}} *[http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/CW69-14-85-2002E.pdf Northern Leopard Frog (''Rana pipiens'')] β ''Natural Resources Canada''. *[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rana_pipiens.html AWD: ''Rana pipiens''] β ''animal diversity, University of Michigan''. *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241764.stm BBC news: "''Rana pipiens'' and the treatment of brain tumours."] {{Taxonbar|from=Q1819586}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Lithobates]] [[Category:Amphibians of the United States]] [[Category:Amphibians of Canada]] [[Category:Fauna of the Great Lakes region (North America)]] [[Category:Fauna of the Eastern United States]] [[Category:Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States)]] [[Category:Animal models]] [[Category:Amphibians described in 1782]] [[Category:Symbols of Minnesota]] [[Category:Symbols of Vermont]]
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