Gopher frogs spend their days in
the cool protection of gopher tortoise burrows. They
venture out at night to hunt insects. In the springtime
gopher frogs migrate up to a mile to isolated ponds where
they sing, mate and lay eggs. Their breeding song is a
resonant snore that can be heard for a mile on calm,
rainy nights. When gopher frog tadpoles transform into
little froglets they must leave the pond and find a
tortoise burrow. Captured outside the safety of his
adopted burrow, this gopher frog would like the world to
go away! (Actually, this head-hiding behavior is probably
a defensive response to protect the head and make itself
harder to swallow.) The State of Florida lists the gopher
frog as a Species of Special Concern, which is
not quite as vulnerable as Threatened, and even
less vulnerable than Endangered. If you approach
a gopher tortoise burrow quietly and quickly peek into
the opening, you can sometimes catch a glimpse of a
gopher frog perched near the burrow entrance.
Gopher frogs spend their days in
the cool protection of gopher tortoise burrows. They
venture out at night to hunt insects. In the springtime
gopher frogs migrate up to a mile to isolated ponds where
they sing, mate and lay eggs. Their breeding song is a
resonant snore that can be heard for a mile on calm,
rainy nights. When gopher frog tadpoles transform into
little froglets they must leave the pond and find a
tortoise burrow. Captured outside the safety of his
adopted burrow, this gopher frog would like the world to
go away! (Actually, this head-hiding behavior is probably
a defensive response to protect the head and make itself
harder to swallow.) The State of Florida lists the gopher
frog as a Species of Special Concern, which is
not quite as vulnerable as Threatened, and even
less vulnerable than Endangered. If you approach
a gopher tortoise burrow quietly and quickly peek into
the opening, you can sometimes catch a glimpse of a
gopher frog perched near the burrow entrance.
