Frogs and Toads of Kansas

If you are looking to identify certain frogs and toads that you found 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 Frogs – Ranidae

Common Name: Crawfish Frog
Scientific Name: Rana areolatus
Location: Eastern edge of the state
Breeding Season:

The Crawfish Frog gets its name from living in crawfish holes. Its has skin folds on the side and a small typanum. It also has a pair of vocal sacs for calling.

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in the state. 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. They are very similar to Green Frogs but they don’t have a dorsal ridge down their back. It wraps around their tympanum.

Green Frog / Bronze Frog (Rana clamitans)

Common Name: Green Frog / Bronze Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Southeastern corner 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.

Common Name: Plains Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana blairi
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sphenocephalus
Location: Eastern edge of the state
Breeding Season:

The Southern Leopard Frog and Plains Leopard Frog appear identical. They both have large spots all over their body. The difference between the frogs lies in their dorsal ridge. The Southern Leopard Frog’s ridge runs straight down the side while the Plains Leopard Frog’s ridge indents near the butt.

Tree Frog Family- Hylidae

Kansas is home to a nice variety of tree frogs.

Common Name: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
Location: Statewide besides the western border
Breeding Season:

The Northern Cricket Frog is the only cricket frog in the state. Its skin is relatively more rough than the other tree frogs in the state. It also has no distinct markings.

Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor) and Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Eastern edge
Breeding Season:

Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Eastern half
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

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Southeastern corner
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.

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 have three lines that run down its back and are rarely broken up but if they are, its usually only the middle stripe.

Strecker’s Chorus Frog (Pseudacris streckeri)

*State Threatened Species*

Common Name: Strecker’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris streckeri
Location: Harper, Pratt, Barber and Kingman counties
Breeding Season:

The Strecker’s Chorus Frog lacks doesn’t have any pattern of stripes or dots on its back. It has a line that runs through its eye and down its side though.

Spotted Chorus Frog (Pseudacris clarkii)

Common Name: Spotted Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris clarkii
Location: Southern half of the state
Breeding Season:

The Spotted Chorus Frog obviously has spots that are green and are bordered by black.

Toads

True Toads – Bufonidae

American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)

Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Eastern border
Breeding Season:

The American Toad’s cranial crest and the parotoid gland to not touch or they are connected by a spur.

Common Name: Great Plains Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus cognatus
Location: Everywhere besides eastern border area
Breeding Season:

The Great Plains Toad has a V shaped cranial crest between their eyes.

Video of a male Great Plains Toad calling by Annika Enloe

Common Name: Woodhouse’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus woodhousii
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

Common Name: Red Spotted Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus punctatus
Location: Western half of the state
Breeding Season:

The Red-Spotted Toad’s cranial crest are not present or small. Parotoid gland is also rather small.

Common Name: Green Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus debilis
Location: Southwestern part of the state
Breeding Season:

The Green Toad doesn’t have a prominent cranial crest but has an elongated parotoid gland.

Narrow Mouthed Toad – Microhylidae

Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:

The Eastern Narrow Mouthed Frog has a dark belly and often has a broad line down its back.

Common Name: Western Narrow Mouthed Toad / Great Plains Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne olivacea
Location: Middle of the state
Breeding Season:

The Western Narrow Mouthed Toad has a light, unmarked belly and has no patterns and a few spots on its back.

Spadefoot Toad – Scaphiopodidae

Common Name: Plains Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea bombifrons
Location: Everywhere besides southeastern corner
Breeding Season:

The Plains Spadefoot Toad is the only spadefoot toad in the state. It has keratonized “spades” on its rear legs that help with digging.