Welcome to the FrogWatch Yukon website!

By participating in this program you will help increase our knowledge of frogs and toads in Yukon. Frogs and toads are a part of local biodiversity – the amazing variety of life around us. Conserving biodiversity is essential to the health of the planet and the welfare of humankind. Frogs and toads also have a special role to play in keeping the environment healthy. Perhaps because they live “on the edge” between water and land, and have semi-permeable skin, frogs and toads are very sensitive to pollution and other environmental changes.

Worldwide, many species are declining in numbers or have recently become extinct. Monitoring frog and toad populations is one way to check the health of wetland areas. Frogs and toads can be used as indicator species, because they are vulnerable to changes in the atmosphere, the land, or the water. Tracking changes in the geographic range, the beginning and ending of the calling season, and the population of frogs and toads in Yukon can help us understand changes occurring in the environment. The most effective way to track changes in frog and toad populations is to listen for their calls during mating season in the springtime. Male frogs and toads call to protect their territory and attract females. Each species of frog and toad has a very distinctive mating call.

We need your help and want you to become a Frogwatch-Yukon volunteer observer. Becoming a volunteer is very easy. All you need to do is learn the frog and toad calls, choose a location to listen for calls, record your observations, and send your observations to us via our website. Your information will be entered into a database and you will be able to view a map showing your observation location and the location of other Frogwatch volunteers in Yukon.

Happy Listening!

Learn about the Frogs of Yukon

Data provided by the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network

Boreal Chorus Frog

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.

Boreal/Western Toad

Boreal/Western Toad

Scientific name: Bufo 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.

Columbia Spotted Frog

Columbia Spotted Frog

Scientific name: Rana luteiventris

Classification: Treefrog

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.

Wood Frog

Wood Frog

Scientific name: Rana sylvatica

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.