Frogs and Toads of Florida

Florida is home to a vast amount of frogs and toads. Even some invasive species of frogs have taken home here.

If you are looking to identify certain frogs and toads of Florida 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

True Frog Family – Ranidae

The True Frogs are your typical frogs that are generally found near a pond or lake.

Bronze /Green Frog (Rana clamitans)

Common Name: Bronze / Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Northern half of the state
Breeding Season: April to August

The Bronze Frog has dorsal ridge that runs down their back. The males of the species have bright yellow throat while the female’s throat is just white.

Common Name: Pig Frog
Scientific Name: Rana grylio
Location: Statewide besides the Keys
Breeding Season: April to August

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catebeiana
Location: Northern half of the state
Breeding Season: April to August

The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in the North America, capable of reaching over 7 inches long. The mature males of the species have bright yellow colored throats.

It looks very similar to the Green Frog, but the dorsal ridge wraps around the tympanum while the Green Frog’s dorsal ridge is incomplete and does not extend all the way to its rear. The American Bullfrog is also very similar to the Pig Frog, but the Pig Frog has bolder spots / stripes on the back of its thighs while the Bullfrog has light spots.

*State Threatened*

Common Name: Florida Bog Frog
Scientific Name: Rana okaloosae
Location: Western part of the panhandle
Breeding Season: April to August

The Florida Bog Frog is the smallest frog in the genus Rana. It has a light colored dorsal ridge that stops a little short of the groin. They have a yellow throat.

Common Name: River Frog
Scientific Name: Rana heckscheri
Location: Far Northern border of the state
Breeding Season: March through September

River Frog does not have a dorsal ridge which is a key identification characteristic. Its skin is also a lot more rough and wrinkly than another true frogs.

Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sphenocephalus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: October through April

The Southern Leopard Frog has large spots on its body. The skin is smooth and they have a complete dorsal ridge.

Common Name: Carpenter Frog
Scientific Name: Rana virgatipes
Location: Okeefenokee Swamp and Osceola National Forest
Breeding Season: March through September

Carpenter Frog is identifiable because of their brown color and two yellow lines that run down their back.

Common Name: Gopher Frog
Scientific Name: Rana capito
Location: Everywhere besides southern Florida
Breeding Season: Yearlong but mostly during the winter

The Gopher Frog is identifiable due to their dorsal ridge that is nearly complete and their skin is rough and warty.

Tree Frog Family – Hylidae

Cricket Frogs – Acris

Common Name: Northern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris crepitans
Location: Panhandle
Breeding Season: March – August

Common Name: Southern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris gryllus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: Yearlong except in the panhandle where its from February to October

The Cricket Frogs look really similar but there’s a few ways to tell them apart. The Southern Cricket Frog has a more pointed snout while the Northern Cricket Frog has a more blunt snout. The Southern Cricket Frog doesn’t have as much webbing on the back legs as the Northern Cricket Frog.

Chorus Frog – Pseudacris

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Northern Florida
Breeding Season: November – March

The Spring Peeper is a small semi-arboreal frog that has a distinct X shape on its back.

Common Name: Ornate Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris ornata
Location: Northern Florida
Breeding Season: November to March

The Ornate Chorus Frog has a stripe through its eye and down its side. The stripe is often broken. It does not have any stripes on its back.

Common Name: Little Grass Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris ocularis
Location: Statewide besides the western edge of the panhandle
Breeding Season: Yearlong

Little Grass frog has three lines down its back but lacks white around the lips that the Upland and Southern Chorus frog have. It is the smallest frog in the United States.

Here is a video of one calling, thanks to Arik Hartmann

Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
Location: Panhandle
Breeding Season: January to May

The Upland Chorus Frog has three lines down its back that are often broken.

Common Name: Southern Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris nigrita
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: November through April

The Southern Chorus Frog has three lines down its back but it’s skin is darker than the Upland Chorus Frog and Little Grass Frog.

Tree Frogs – Hyla

Common Name: Pine Barrons Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla andersonii
Location: Western Panhandle
Breeding Season: April to August

Pine Barrons Tree Frog is identifiable because of its purple stripe from its eye down its side.

Cope Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Northern Florida
Breeding Season: March to August

Common Name: Bird-voiced Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla avivoca
Location: Panhandle
Breeding Season: April – August

Common Name: Pinewoods Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla femoralis
Location: Everywhere besides the southern part
Breeding Season: April to October

Cope’s Gray Tree Frogs, Pinewoods Tree Frog, and the Bird-Voiced Frog look very much a like. The difference is the coloration on the inner thigh. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog has brighter orange color on the thigh while the Bird-Voiced Frog is more greenish-yellow. The Pinewoods Frog has dots / spots on the inner thigh.

Common Name: Barking Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla gratiosa
Location: Everywhere besides the southern part
Breeding Season: March through August

Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea)

Common Name: Green Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: March through October

Common Name: Squirrel Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla squirellus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: March to August

The Green Tree Frog, Squirrel Tree Frog, and Barking Tree Frog are all very similar. The Barking Tree Frog has much rougher skin than the others. The Green Tree Frog has a white line down its side.

Toads

True Toad Family  – Bufonidae

Common Name: Southern Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus terrestris
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: March – October

The Southern Toad has very pronounced cranial crest on its head.

Common Name: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Panhandle
Breeding Season: March – August

The Fowler’s Toad and Southern Toad look kinda alike but the cranial crest isn’t as pronounced.

Common Name: Oak Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus quercicus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: April – October

The Oak Toad is the smallest toad in the state. They have a line down its back and has orange on its bottom of its feet.

Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae

Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphious holbrookii
Location: Statewide besides southcentral area
Breeding Season: March to August following heavy rains

The Eastern Spadefoot Toad is the only Spadefoot toad in Florida. They have a spade on their rear feet that helps them burrow.

Narrow Mouth Toad Family – Microhylidae

Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouth Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: April – October

The Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad is the only narrow mouthed toad in the state of Florida. Their distinct narrow head makes it easy to identify.

Introduced Species

Common Name: Cane Toad
Scientific Name: Rhinella marina
Location: Southern coastal areas
Breeding Season: March to September

The Cane Toad is a highly invasive toad. They were introduced around the world to help with fighting insects on plants. They are one of the largest toad in the world which allows them to be able to eat numerous amounts of animals. The Cane Toad is also very toxic which harms wild animals and pets that try to eat them.

Common Name: Greenhouse Frog
Scientific Name: Eleutherodactylus planirostris
Location: Almost statewide besides some spots in the panhandle
Breeding Season: May – September

The Green House Frog was accidentally introduced by shipments of plants, hence the name Green House Frog. Researchers aren’t sure what the current impact of the frog is on native wildlife.

Common Name: Cuban Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Oseopilus septentrionalis
Location: Everywhere besides some spots in the panhandle
Breeding Season: March to October (possibly yearlong in southern part of the state)

The Cuban Tree Frog is a large tree frog from obviously Cuba. They have a gigantic appetite which causes them to be highly destructive to the ecosystem.