Lithobates grylio

One of the fun things about being around the wetlands and ponds is getting to hear the Pig Frogs. They sure sound just like a pig. I have been intrigued by their specific epithet, just because it didn't seem to be a latin descriptive word or somebody's last name. The only thing I could find on google or wikipedia (and if they can't find it, it must be obscure) except this book by Carol Rose; Giants, monsters, and dragons: an encyclopedia of folklore, legend, and myth. In the encyclopedia, Brown lists Grylio as a fabulous monster of medieval Europe that looked like a large salamander and was poisonous. The monster supposedly climbed into fruit trees and poisoned the fruit to kill whatever ate the fruit or even the water into which the fruit might fall. I don't see much of a connection with the Pig Frog, but at least the Grylio was an amphibian monster. Anyone that knows more etymology of the name, please let me know.



This guy was sitting beside the pier at Lake Okeechobee, allowing for nice viewing. Typically, they sit in deeper water when they are calling. I thought the yellow under the chin was striking. This guy was about the size of a medium bullfrog.