As tadpoles, leopard frogs have gills and a streamlined body with a long flattened tail they use for propulsion. After four months, the tadpoles undergo a remarkable change. The gills become lungs, the eyes migrate to the front of the head, the tail disappears, legs arise, and the mouth widens into a characteristic froggy grin. During this time, their diet and digestive system change as well. As tadpoles, they are herbivores, grazing on the tips of plants and on algae floating on the water or attached to a rock or water-plant.
Mature frogs are carnivores that eat anything they can catch.
Insects, including beetles and grasshoppers, are their most common prey, but they ll take crayfish, small mammals and fish, and even young leopard frogs if the opportunities arise. The next time you encounter a leopard frog and notice its wide grin, it s probably still smiling from its last long-awaited meal.