Frogs and Toads of British Columbia, Canada

If you are looking to identify certain frogs and toads of British Columbia 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.

Canada isn’t home to a lot of frog species but British Columbia has a fair number of species.

Frogs

True Frog family – Ranidae

Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)

Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
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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: Columbia Spotted Frog
Scientific Name: Rana luteiventris
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The Columbia Spotted Frog is a medium sized frog varying in color from gray, brown, olive, to green with small spots that aren’t filled all over their bodies. The undersides of their legs and belly are red to pink.

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: 
Breeding Season: Once the ice melts

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. After breeding season, they are often found in the woods, far away from any water bodies.

Common Name: Northern Red-legged Frog
Scientific Name: Rana aurora
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The Northern Red-Legged Frog is a medium sized frog that is tan, brown, or olive color with a red belly that is spotted. Their dorsal ridge extends on the way down their back.

Common Name: Oregon Spotted Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pretiosa
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The Oregon Spotted Frog is a medium to large frog that is olive to red in color with a red belly that doesn’t have spots on it.

Tree Frog family – Hylidae

Common Name: Pacific Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris regilla
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The Pacific Tree Frog is a small frog, ranging in color from green, red, brown or gray. A dark stripe extends from their snout through their eye and down their side.

Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

Common Name: Boreal Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris maculata
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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.

Tailed Frog family – Ascaphidae

The family Ascaphidae is known for the tails on the male frogs that help with reproduction. No other adult frogs have tails normally.

Common Name: Coastal Tailed Frog
Scientific Name: Ascaphus truei
Location: Western side
Breeding Season:

The Coastal Tailed Frog is a small frog with rough skin with colors varying from olive, gray, brown, or red with a black stripe through their eye. They have vertical pupils and lack a tympanum.

Common Name: Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog
Scientific Name: Ascaphus montanus
Location: Southeastern border
Breeding Season: 

The Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog is a small frog with rough skin that is brown or gray in color. They have vertical pupils and lack a tympanum.

Toads

True Toad family – Bufonidae

Common Name: Western Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus boreas
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The Western Toad is a medium sized toad with warty skin that’s green, gray, or brown in color. They have a thin white line that runs between their eyes down their back. The toad also lacks a cranial crest. The Western Toad is the only true toad in the providence. It has a parotoid gland behind its eye that true toads have.

Spadefoot Toad family – Scaphiopodidae

Common Name: Great Basin Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea intermontana
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Breeding Season:

The Great Basin Spadefoot Toad is a small to medium sized toad that is tan, gray, brown, or olive green in color. They have elliptical, vertical pupils that are snake-like. The Great Basin Spadefoot has a glandular boss (bump between the eyes). Its spade has a round shape.

Invasive Frogs

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in the country. They are found near permanent bodies of water such as large ponds, streams, and lakes. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow.

The American Bullfrog is a highly invasive frog species. Its introduction to the province signaled a decrease in numbers for other frog populations.