Benji Jones, ecologist, on this invasive species problem: “They eat basically everything that will fit into their mouth”

All around the world natural environments are dealing with invasive species of all kinds. They can cause massive harm to existing ecosystems where they have no natural predators.

Some are stowaways while others arrive through the trade in exotic species, then specimens escape into the wild or are abandoned by their owners. Many have been intentionally introduced into foreign environments to prey on other invasive species only to become a problem themselves.

One that was introduced into the western United States was brought there to be a source of food. The animal in question is the American bullfrog.

While they were intended to make their way to dinner plates and menus, the industry never really took off. Now just about everything is on the frogs’ menu and they are considered one of the most dangerous invasive species across the western U.S. and dozens of countries.

“They eat basically everything that will fit into their mouth”

The American bullfrog is a carnivorous amphibian, which is native to the eastern U.S. from much of the Mississippi River basin to the Atlantic coast, and can grow to be the size of a house cat. They have a voracious appetite for live food, something that made farming them difficult and unprofitable.

Now that they have extensively colonized large swaths of the West, they are causing populations of native and endangered species to plummet. “They eat basically everything that will fit into their mouth,” explains Benji Jones, ecologist and senior environmental correspondent at Vox.

“Like unsupervised toddlers, bullfrogs will put pretty much anything in their mouths. Mice, birds, turtles, snakes, rocks, other bullfrogs — if it fits, they’ll try to eat it,” he added.

How to help counter the American bullfrog invasion in the West

Unfortunately, killing all of the American bullfrogs in the western U.S. where they aren’t native isn’t feasible researcher and invasive species expert at Oregon State University Tiffany Garcia explained to Jones. This is because humans have altered the landscape providing them with a habitat they can thrive in.

Furthermore, they are everywhere and even if they were eliminated from one place, they would easily return. “It’s futile,” she said.

However, reducing their numbers to bring American bullfrog populations under control has been shown to help native species bounce back to a degree. You can do your part by grabbing a fishing line or a net. They are quite easy to catch as shown by the following video from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Not only does the video provide tips for how to catch American bullfrogs, but also tips on how to prepare a delicious dish of frog legs. You know what they say, “if you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em.”

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