Food and Feeding Behavior of the Mink Frog, Rana septentrionalis Baird, in Minnesota

Rana septentrionalis in the Lake Itasca region fed primarily on algae through Stage XX, fasted during Stage XXI, and began an adult diet during Stage XXII (stages based on Taylor and Kollros, 1946). All 74 adult stomachs examined contained animal material. Accidentally ingested plant material occurred in 90.5% of the stomachs. Diet differences among populations were due to differences in habitat and seasonal food availability. The higher incidence of certain aquatic food items in R. septentrionalis than in sympatric R. pipiens may reflect interspecific differences in feeding behavior.