As the hours continued on, Donnolley Wildlife Management Center continued to surprise me. Full of lush plant life, overgrown vines and a plethora of animal species, things continued to come out of nowhere. As we ventured down the rocky road it was time to open more traps set by our professor, Dr. Welch, and her teaching assistant, Keith. As I climbed into thigh high water I opened a blue and white trap filled with small fish, most likely minnows, and a very large tadpole. After dumping the tadpole into a clear bucket, we were able to identify it as a Bull Frog (Rana catesbeiana)—most likely. It’s hard when you only have a field guide and a couple of defining characteristics on an undeveloped animal to identify it. It was possibly the cutest thing I’d ever seen, such a large body with big eyes and the smallest tail, so odd looking but very cute. Bullfrogs are the largest frogs in North America, with females growing larger than males! (More power to them!) They tend to have varying coloration with gray splotches on their backs. They can lay over 20,000 eggs that become attached to plants living underwater and their tadpoles can grow up to 6 inches before becoming frogs!! (www.fcps.edu/islandcreeks/ecology/bullfrog.htm) They are magnificent organisms with beautiful features, mottling on the back, large tympanums (ear drums), and wild personalities—they are very territorial. To see a Bullfrog so beautifully developed in its habitat was fascinating, something I would definitely be interested in seeing again soon.


(Samantha Reeves, Charleston SC)