Mink frogs

Kenny had a break in his scholastic pursuits and wanted to see a mink frog, Rana (Lithobates) septentrionalis.

I had a bit of time to spare, and the birding side of me wanted to see trumpeter swans and common loons and the herping side wanted more and better photos of the odoriferous little mink frog. Mink frogs are a green frog lookalike of the boreal climes that are named for their smell. The back and sides of this frog may bear large spots, small spots, or be reticulated.

We hopped in the car and started northward. Fifteen hundred miles later, we were at Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A quick palaver with the refuge biologist and we were on our way to the first of four ponds that this little frog called home.

We slowed for a bend in the road and a half dozen trumpeter swans swam rapidly away from the shoreline. Tick. We stopped at pond one. Green frogs were abundant, but no mink frogs were in sight. We continued to pond two. Same scenario. Lots of greens, no minks. As we continued to pond three, we drove by an immense lake and, as if waiting for us, a pair of common loons floated on the near side of a bed of emergent vegetation. Tick.

Pond three, heavily vegetated, held a few green frogs. There, floating, one front foot on a lily-pad, about 3 feet from shore was a single mink frog. The trip had been a success. Now we had only the 1,500 miles back to Florida and we could take a breather.

More photos below ...

Mink frog, reticulated phase. A reticulated phase mink frog in situ.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.