Toads and Frogs in Minnesota
If you are looking to identify a specific toads and frogs in Minnesota and can’t figure it out from the page, you can check my Frog Identification and see how to contact me about helping you out.
Frogs in Minnesota
Minnesota is home to a variety of different frogs from the tree frog family and the tree frog family.
True Frog Family – Ranidae
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Northern half of state
Breeding Season: early spring when the ice is melting
The Wood Frog is a small to medium sized frog. They vary in color from brown, silver, or red and they have dark “raccoon” eyes. When winter comes, the Wood Frog can freeze completely solid and then unthaw in spring. They start to breed once the ice is off the ponds in late March / early April. After breeding season, they are often found in the woods, far away from any water bodies.
Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Northern Leopard Frog is a medium to large species of semi aquatic species of frog. They vary in color from dark brown to slim green with fairly large spots all over their body.
Common Name: Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season:
The Green Frog is a medium to large sized frog. They can be commonly found near pretty much any water body such as ponds, lakes, or streams. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow. Best way to tell them apart from other true frogs below is the dorsal ridge on its back does not go all the way down its back.
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)
Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Southern part of the state
Breeding Season:
American Bullfrog is the largest frog in Minnesota. They are very similar to Green Frogs but they don’t have a dorsal ridge down their back. It wraps around their tympanum.
Mink Frog (Rana septrentionalis)
Common Name: Mink Frog
Scientific Name: Rana septrentionalis
Location: Northern part of the state
Breeding Season:
The Mink Frog gets its name after the smell it produces when being handled. They spend most of their time near and in lakes, ponds, and stream. The Mink Frog has a marbled look to it compared to the other frogs.
Tree Frog family – Hylidae
Hylidae contains three different genera of frogs, the Tree frogs (Hyla), the Cricket frogs (Acris), and the Chorus frogs (Pseudacris).
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:
The Spring Peeper is a small chorus frog that can often be found on forest floor or low on trunks of trees. They can be hard to find due to their small size, however, in spring when they come to temporary ponds to breed, they are easier to find. They can be distinguished from Boreal Chorus Frog and Cricket Frog due to their x on their back.
Video of a Spring Peeper calling, thanks to M Dwyer, @MustelidDwyer on twitter
Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)
Common Name: Boreal Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris maculata
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Boreal Chorus Frog is a small sized Chorus Frog, ranging from brown, red, tan, to olive in color. They are very similar to the Spring Peeper but there is no x on its back but three lines that run down its back. It is one of the first frogs to start breeding in the spring, once the ice melts from the ponds, but breeds the longest out of all species.
Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla veriscolor) and Copes Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Everywhere besides the far western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Northwestern corner diagonally down to the southeastern corner
Breeding Season:
The Gray Tree Frogs are nearly identical besides their calls and chromosome numbers. These medium sized frogs can be found perched in trees or on the side of your house. They are not always gray in color and can be green. They have yellow or orange coloration on their back legs.
Here is a video of some Eastern Gray Tree Frog males calling that I took
Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi)
Common Name: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
Location: Southern edge of the state
Breeding Season:
The Blanchard’s Cricket Frog is a small, warty frog that varies in color from tan, brown, or green. They have a dark triangle between their eyes and a dark stripe on their thighs.
Toads
Minnesota has a few toads but from only the true toad family.
True Toad Family – Bufonidae
Canadian Toad (Anaxyrus hemiophrys)
Common Name: Canadian Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus hemiophrys
Location: Western part of the state
Breeding Season:
The cranial crest of the Canadian Toad is fused and it touches the parotid gland.
Common Name: Great Plains Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus cognatus
Location: Western border
Breeding Season:
The Great Plains Toad looks a lot like the American Toad and the Canadian Toad but it has a V shaped bump between its eyes. It is only found in the far west side of the state so if you are close to Wisconsin and see a toad, its probably not a Great Plains Toad.
American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Toad is a medium sized toad with rough warty skin that’s primary brown in color but can have some black, gray, or red coloration. Their undersides are speckled. The American Toads’s parotid gland does not touch or connected to it by a spur. The toads can be found pretty much anywhere including urban areas.