edHelper.com
Animal Themes
Amphibians
 Bullfrogs

Bullfrogs
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.27

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    bearing, bullfrog, distinguish, striking, voracious, mating, dealt, hence, originally, species, bulls, flashy, amphibian, actually, easily, adult
     content words:    North America, British Columbia

Print Bullfrogs
     Print Bullfrogs  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)

Quickly Print - PDF format
     Quickly Print: PDF (2 columns per page)
     Quickly Print: PDF (full page)

Quickly Print - HTML format
     Quickly Print: HTML

Proofreading Activity
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Bullfrogs
     Leave your feedback on Bullfrogs  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Bullfrogs   
1     Bullfrogs are striking!
 
2     No, they do not wear flashy outfits to attract our attention. With green or brown backs and yellowish white bellies, bullfrogs actually look quite dull. So, how do they manage to stand out? Well, size is their secret! Growing up to eight inches long (without extending their hind legs) and weighing over one pound, bullfrogs (or American bullfrogs, scientific name: Rana catesbeiana) are the largest frog species in North America. And, just to make their presence even more conspicuous, male bullfrogs like to make loud, resonant mating calls at night during the breeding season. Their distinctive growls remind us of bulls' bellows; hence, their name.
 
3     Aside from relying on the sound to distinguish between a male and a female bullfrog, there is another way to tell the difference. Adult bullfrogs have round eardrums, called tympanums (pronounced "tim-PE-nems") behind their eyes. For the females, their hearing aids are about as big as their eyes; for males, however, their tympanums are considerably larger. Regardless of sex, both male and female bullfrogs are superb jumpers. With hind legs up to 10 inches long, they can easily cover 3-6 feet in a single leap!

Paragraphs 4 to 7:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2009 edHelper