Learn about the Frogs of British Columbia
Here is a list of frog species to watch for in British Columbia. Happy Listening!
Data provided by the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network
Boreal/Western Toad
Scientific name: Anaxyrus boreas
Classification: Toad
Description: This toad is usually green or brown with a light stripe down the back. Like all toads, it has a dry, warty skin. The warts may be reddish brown and are surrounded by black marks. Unlike other toads it has no cranial crests although it does have oval parotid glands. The belly is pale with dark mottling. Adults reach up to 12 cm in size.
Great Basin Spadefoot
Scientific name: Spea intermontanus
Classification: Toad
Description: Spadefoots differ from other frogs and toads by their vertical pupil, relatively smooth skin, teeth in their upper jaw and absence of parotid glands. They also have a horny, sharp, dark edged knob or tubercle (the “spade”) on the inner surface of the hind foot. The Great Basin Spadefoot is a stout bodied animal with a glandular hump between the eyes. The spade is wedge shaped. The skin is fairly smooth gray-green to olive with numerous small scattered bumps which may be orange. There may be light stripes on the flank. The belly is white. Adults can grow to 5 cm.
Boreal Chorus Frog
Scientific name: Pseudacris maculata
Classification: Treefrog
Description: The Boreal Chorus Frog is a small, smooth skinned treefrog. Colour varies from green-gray to brown. There is a dark stripe through the eye and a white stripe along the upper lip. It is distinguished from most other treefrogs by the three dark stripes down the back. In some individuals the stripes are broken into dashes or dots. Maximum adult size is just under 4 cm.
Pacific Treefrog
Scientific name: Hyla regilla
Classification: Treefrog
Description: The Pacific Treefrog has rough skin of various colours and patterns. It is distinguished from other treefrogs by a dark brown or black line across the face that runs horizontally through each eye. It has large toe pads which help it climb and often has a dark triangle between the eyes. Adults may reach 5 cm.
Red-legged Frog
Scientific name: Rana aurora
Classification: Treefrog
Description: The Red-legged Frog is a large, true frog with clear dorsolateral ridges. The colour varies from reddish brown to grey and there may be some dark specks or blotches. In northern populations, these dark blotches do not have light centres. The tympanum is indistinct and the toes are not fully webbed. This species may be distinguished from other frogs by the light stripe on its jaw bordering a dark mask and by its yellow underside with red on the lower abdomen and hind legs. Adults can reach 13 cm.
Tailed Frog
Scientific name: Ascaphus truei
Classification: Tailed frog
Description: The Tailed Frog is a very unusual looking species. It has no external eardrum (tympanum) and the male has an external copulatory organ which appears to be a tail but is coloured similarly to the back. The colour varies from olive, gray or tan to almost black with dark spots on the back and a yellowish triangle on the head. The eyes have a vertical pupil. Maximum adult size is 5 cm.
Columbia Spotted Frog
Scientific name: Rana luteiventris
Classification: True Frog
Description: The Spotted Frog is a large brown true frog with ill defined spots which may have light centres. It has dorsolateral ridges and a dark mask with a light stripe on the upper jaw. Its toes are fully webbed and the eyes are slightly upturned. The tympanum is prominent. The underside may be yellow, orange or red with dark mottling on the throat. Maximum adult size is 10 cm.
Oregon Spotted Frog
Scientific name: Rana pretiosa
Classification: True Frog
Description: The Spotted Frog is a large brown true frog with ill defined spots which may have light centres. It has dorsolateral ridges and a dark mask with a light stripe on the upper jaw. Its toes are fully webbed and the eyes are slightly upturned. The tympanum is prominent. The underside may be yellow, orange or red with dark mottling on the throat. Maximum adult size is 10 cm. The two species of Spotted Frogs are very similar and very closely related. It has only recently be recognized that they are two different species. The Oregon Spotted Frog differs from the Columbia Spotted Frog in having a smaller head.
Bullfrog
Scientific name: Lithobates catesbeiana
Classification: True Frog
Description: The Bullfrog is the largest frog found in North America. Their tadpoles also grow larger than other species. The colour varies from pale green to dark greenish/brown above and is creamy white below with variable dark mottling on the back or underside. It is distinguished by its very large tympanum which is always larger than the eye, and by the lack of dorsolateral ridges. Adult males have pale to bright yellow chins during the breeding season. Adults may reach up to 17 cm long.
Green Frog
Scientific name: Lithobates clamitans
Classification: True Frog
Description: The Green Frog is a large, true frog with large, distinct tympanum and prominent dorsolateral ridges. It may be green, bronze or brown, or a combination but is typically green on the upper lip. The belly is white with darker lines or spots. There may be some irregular spotting on the back. It is distinguished from other frogs in that the dorsolateral ridges run only partway down the back and do not reach the groin. The hind legs have dark bars. Males have a bright yellow throat. Maximum adult size is 10 cm.
Leopard Frog
Scientific name: Lithobates pipiens
Classification: True Frog
Description: A green or brown frog with large, light-edged spots. Leopard Frogs also have prominent light-coloured dorsolateral ridges and a white belly. They can grow to over 10 cm body length but this is quite rare. Adults are usually 5-8 cm.
Wood Frog
Scientific name: Lithobates sylvaticus
Classification: True Frog
Description: This is a moderate sized, true frog with prominent dorsolateral ridges. It may be reddish, tan or dark brown with a dark mask that ends abruptly behind the tympanum. Some individuals have a light line down the middle of the back. There is a dark blotch on the chest near each front leg. The belly is white and there may be some dark mottling. The toes are not fully webbed. Adults may reach up to 8 cm.