How Far Can Frogs Jump?
This is one of the most common questions regarding frogs and toads. “How far can frogs jump?” It’s a great question, too! One with an interesting answer.
I read through the scientific literature, books, and collected frog jumping records all for the sake of giving you an accurate and interesting answer.
American bullfrogs jump over 7 feet in a single leap. One species, the South African Sharp-Nosed Frog, holds the Guinness World Record of 17.6 feet; 95 times the length of its body.
If the average human had the jumping power of the record-holding South African Sharp-Nosed Frog, he or she could jump around 517 feet; almost 1 and 1/2 football fields.
Table of Contents
Frog Jumping Records
The table below shows the current record holder of frogs competing in a jumping competition. Yes, you read that right. There is a frog jumping competition. It’s located in Calaveras County, California.
Fun fact: Researchers went to the Calaveras Country Jumping Frog Jubilee one year and found that 58% of recorded jumps surpassed that max jump distance in the scientific literature[1].
Anyway, the single jump average is listed but the record is actually awarded to the frog that can leap the greatest distance in three jumps combined.
| Species | Average Jump | 3 Jump Total | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Bullfrog | 7.16 ft | 21 ft 5.75 in | 1986 |
The next table compares records listed in a study by George Zug in 1985 and the Guinness Book of World Records[2].
The winners of this competition were measured differently. Here, the distance jumped is compared in proportion to the size of the frog. Perhaps this is the best way to measure a true winner.
| Species | Frog size (length) | Distance | Jump Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| South African Sharp-Nosed Frog | 2.2 inches | 17.6 feet | 95.4x |
| Southern Cricket Frog | 1.25 inches | 6.4 feet | 61.7x |
| Striped Rocket Frog | 2.15 inches | 9.2 feet | 51.4x |
So, one type of frog is capable of jumping over 90 times the length of its body. This is an extraordinary case, however. As you can see in the table above, the next closest is just over 60x and the following is 50x.
Comparing the South African Sharp-Nosed Frog to the American Bullfrog, the bullfrog jumps a greater distance but not in proportion to the body size. The American Bullfrog’s leap is around 10x their body length while the South African Sharp-Nosed Frog was around 95x their body length.
What The Research Says…
Mr. George Zug’s study of Anuran locomotion[3] revealed a number of interesting findings. He tested 80 species in 11 different families. Based on the results, we’re able to make some broad assessments on which types of frogs jump farther than others.
Big Frogs and Fatigue
The bigger the frog, the farther it jumps. This is fairly cut and dry, but doesn’t hold true for every single species; it’s a generalization.
An American Bullfrog grows up to 8 inches in length, from vent to snout. They have large, powerful legs, capable of jumping over 7 feet in a single leap. Comparing this to Little Reed Frog, with a max length of 0.75-inches, it’s obvious which one can jump farther.
High-performance jumpers fatigue quickly [4]. Due to this, the distance they jump usually decreases with each additional leap. Ample resting time seems to restore their stamina for max jumping capabilities.
Some frogs alternate the distance of their jumps, which is thought to be an energy-saving behavior.
Small frogs jump far in proportion to thier body
Small frogs have the greatest jumping power in proportion to the size of their body. A good example of this can be seen when comparing a Southern Cricket Frog to an American Bullfrog.
A Southern Cricket Frog has an average length of 1.25 inches and has a record leap observed around 6.4 feet. That’s approximately 61.7 times the length of the body. American bullfrogs can grow up to 8 inches and have a record leap observed around 7.4 feet, around 11 times the length of their body.
The bullfrog jumped a greater distance overall, but not in proportion to its body size. This medal goes to the Southern Cricket Frog.
Elizabeth Mendoza conducted a study observing 68 species for the purpose of understanding why the jumping power of frogs is so vast[5]. There is strong evidence to support that as body mass increases, jumping power decreases.
Males Frogs vs Females Frogs
One generalization found that male frogs tend to jump farther than female frogs. While it’s not true for every species, it does make sense. The reason is that female frogs are typically bigger than males.
As we just learned in the previous section, the greater a frog’s body mass is, the less jumping power it has.
Terrestrial Frogs vs Arboreal Frogs
Comparing the leaping power of terrestrial and arboreal frogs is interesting. In layman’s terms: let’s compare toads to tree frogs and see which one jumps farther. One can already assume the victor but for the sake of learning, let’s continue.
Terrestrial species have the smallest jumping power. In contrast, arboreal species are among the highest.
Among the terrestrial species, fossorial (burrowing) frogs have the smallest jumps of all. These are generally true toads in the Bufonidae family.
Related: Frogs vs Toads: What’s the Difference?
The cool thing about terrestrial frogs is that they maintain their hopping distance very well. They don’t get fatigued as fast as their long-distance jumping counterparts.
If Humans Could Jump Like Frogs
I quickly researched the average height of a human. In 1996, the average male is shown to be 5.619 feet tall and females were at 5.232 feet. As of 1996, the combined average human height (globally) was 5.425 feet. That’s the number I’m going with. By the way, wow, Our World Data has a lot of interesting data on this topic.
If humans had the jumping power of the record-holding South African Sharp-Nosed Frog, we could jump a distance of 517 feet. That’s nearly 1 and 1/2 football fields. You could travel 1 mile in approximately 10 jumps!
Okay, so, if you’ve read this entire post and you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know the South African Sharp-Nosed Frog is extraordinary in the jumping department. What about an average frog? Let’s say, what if the frog jumps about 10x its body length?
If that’s the case, an average human would be capable of jumping around 54 feet. That’s more than the length of a school bus.
May 13th is National Frog Jumping Day
National Frog Jumping Day started by way of Mark Twain, one of the most celebrated American authors. His first short story titled “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” follows a betting man by the name of Jim Smiley. Jim trains his pet frog and soon bets his frog can outjump the other frogs in town.
Calaveras Co, inspired by his story, began hosting a frog jumping competition called the Jumping Frog Jubilee. They’ve been holding the events since 1983.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. True toads, especially the burrowing types, have the least jumping power among frogs. Toads tend to perform small leaps. Frogs with the greatest jumping power are small, arboreal species. Frog capable of jumping the greatest distance overall, not in proportion to their body size, are large species like the American Bullfrog.
Some frogs can actually leap from a floating position out of the water but not all of them. This largely depends on the web shaping of their feet[6].
Yes, some frogs can climb walls. Mostly arboreal species, like tree frogs, with sticky toes. In contrast, many toads and frogs don’t have sticky pads on their feet and because of that, they cannot climb walls.
TLDR; How Far Can Frogs Jump?
Here are four observations made from the studies referenced in this post:
- Large frogs are capable of jumping the greatest distance overall.
- Smaller frogs have more jumping power. They can jump the farthest in proportion to their body size.
- The greater the mass of the frog, the less jumping power it has.
- Arboreal species tend to jump farther than terrestrial species.
The Guinness Book of World Records says one South African Sharp-Nosed Frog jumped over 90 times the length of its body in 1975. Similar records include two other species jumping 61.7x and 51.4x the length of their bodies.
A record at the Jumping Frog Jubilee in Calaveras County, California is held by an American Bullfrog named “Rosie the Ribiter”. Her total 3 jump distance is 21 feet and 5.75 inches, which is an average single jump distance of 7.15 feet.
Finally, just for fun, we concluded that if an average human had the jumping power of the South African Sharp-Nosed Frog, he or she could jump around 517 feet in length; almost 1 and 1/2 football fields.
Featured photo by Naturecolors / Adobe Stock
References
- Astley, H. C., et al. “Chasing Maximal Performance: A Cautionary Tale from the Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County.” Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 216, no. 21, 2013, pp. 3947–53. Crossref, doi:10.1242/jeb.090357.[↩]
- Longest leap by a frog relative to body size. (n.d.). Guinness World Records. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/118569-longest-leap-by-a-frog-relative-to-body-size[↩]
- Zug, George R. “Anuran Locomotion: Fatigue and Jumping Performance.” Herpetologica, vol. 41, no. 2, [Herpetologists’ League, Allen Press], 1985, pp. 188–94, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3892257.[↩]
- Hofrichter, R. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Amphibians. Gardners Books., p. 118[↩]
- Mendoza, Elizabeth, et al. “What Explains Vast Differences in Jumping Power within a Clade? Diversity, Ecology and Evolution of Anuran Jumping Power.” Functional Ecology, edited by Kris Crandell, vol. 34, no. 5, 2020, pp. 1053–63. Crossref, doi:10.1111/1365-2435.13545.[↩]
- NAUWELAERTS, SANDRA, et al. “A Functional Analysis of How Frogs Jump out of Water.” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 83, no. 3, 2004, pp. 413–20. Crossref, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2004.00403.x.[↩]