Bullfrogs can become quite large (up to 6 to 7 inches) and inhabit large permanent bodies of water. Unlike other kinds of frogs, which take only a year to get through the tadpole stage (when they live in the water full time), bullfrogs do not move to the land until their second summer, so they cannot survive in a pond that dries up. Bullfrogs are capable of eating all smaller frogs, and they often cannibalize their own young.

Bullfrog calls are a loud and vibrating series of two or three syllable phrases, like "jug-o-rum, jug-o-rum, o-rum".