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 Official State Amphibian
Adoption of State Amphibian
In the summer of 1996, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) received reports of abnormal frogs from twelve different locations within the Lake Champlain Basin. Moved to action by these reports, the Vermont DEC surveyed four of the sites. Abnormalities were discovered at all of the sites and all of the abnormalities were found in that year's hatch of Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens). Of 240 frogs collected, a little over 13% suffered from obvious problems such as missing or stunted limbs. More research was prompted and, in 1997, the Vermont DEC joined with the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the United States Geological Survey's Biological Resource Department (USGS-BRD) and Middlebury College to target further studies of the Northern Leopard Frog in Vermont. During a 1997 survey of over 2,500 frogs, about 8% displayed some abnormalities not caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites. The abnormalities were mostly missing or stunted hind legs and toes. These studies appear to have prompted the Vermont Legislature to afford special recognition of the Northern Leopard Frog as the official state amphibian of Vermont. Citing this frog's value to the state, Senate Bill No. 241, sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Ready, states, "A healthy northern leopard frog population is desirable in Vermont, and is threatened by loss of habitat and deformities that may be related to changes in the environment. Environmental problems that affect frogs could be a warning about further impacts upon other species, including humans. The colors of the northern leopard frog represent the beauty of our state during all seasons. Ponds are an attractive part of Vermont's landscape and the northern leopard frog helps control the number of insects and pests in our state's ponds. It also helps keep Vermont's pristine wetlands clean by eating algae. For all of these reasons, the general assembly finds it appropriate to designate the northern leopard frog as the state amphibian." Introduced on January 6, 1998, Senate Bill No. 241, designating the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) the official state amphibian of Vermont was approved by the Senate on January 27, 1998 and by the House of Representatives on April 9, 1998. Governor Howard Dean signed the legislation on April 21, 1998 with an effective date of July 1, 1998. About the Northern Leopard Frog
The Northern Leopard Frog Rana pipiens is common throughout the northern United States and Canada. A medium-sized frog growing to be 3 1/2 inches long, the attractive Leopard Frog can be found throughout Vermont. Rana pipiens is green to brown or both and it's quite obvious where its name comes from. They are covered with roughly circular dark spots like those of a leopard. These spots are surrounded with a narrow light-colored border. Two most noticeable light colored lines extend from over each eye to the hind legs of the frog. These are lines of raised skin called "dorsolateral folds". Their bellies are colored a creamy white. Northern Leopard Frogs may be found in various wet habitats, like marshes, ponds, lakes, rivers, or streams. In the summer, they may roam a little further afield, venturing into fields or pastures in search of their favorite meals. Because of this, they are sometimes referred to as Meadow Frogs. Like their larger cousins, honored in Oklahoma, Northern Leopard Frogs are opportunistic feeders. That is, they sit and wait to eat almost anything moving that will fit into their mouths. Most of their diet consists of insects although they will eat worms, snails and slugs and even smaller frogs. Northern Leopard Frogs may occasionally eat voles and birds and researchers have found garter snakes in the stomachs of large frogs. While Northern Leopard Frogs are widely spread, they are suffering from maladies as mentioned above and their numbers are declining, for various reasons, across the country. In Canada, the species has been defined as endangered. Scientists have noted that their lifespan has declined to about two years from three to four years. There is cause for concern. Vermont Statutes AnnotatedThe following information is excerpted from the Vermont Statutes Annotated, Title 1, Chapter 11, Section 511. TITLE 1. General Provisions.
(Added 1997, No. 126 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 21, 1998.)
Additional InformationNorthern Leopard Frog Rana pipiens: Entry in National Wildlife Federation's eNature.com. Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens): About the Northern Leopard Frog from the University of Maine's Wetland Connections. Vermont Malformed Frogs: Information at Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation regarding malformed frogs. Frog and Toad Posters and Prints Frogs and Toads : An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet: by Steve Grenard. Source: Vermont Statutes and Court Rules at LexisNexis, (http://198.187.128.12/vermont/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=fs-main.htm&2.0), January 13, 2005
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