Frogs and Toads of Pennsylvania
If you are looking to identify a specific frog 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
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbiana)
Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbiana
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Bullfrog and the Green Frog are similar but the American Bullfrog is larger. The Green Frog also has a impartial dorsal ridge while the American Bullfrog does not have one.
Common Name: Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana kauffeldi
Location: Southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
Location: Throughout the state besides the eastern edge
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sphenocephalus
Location: Eastern edge of the state
Breeding Season:
Southern Leopard Frog, Northern Leopard Frog, and Atlantic Coastal Leopard Frog look very similar to each other. The Southern Leopard Frog has the most pointed snout while Atlantic Coastal Leopard Frog is less pointed. The Northern Leopard Frog’s snout is rounded.
Common Name: Pickeral Frog
Scientific Name: Rana palustris
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Pickeral Frog looks similar to the Leopard Frogs but it has rectangles on its back.
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Wood Frog is a very easy to identify frog. It has a raccoon like mask around its eyes.
True Frog Family – Hylidae
Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla veriscolor)
Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla veriscolor
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
These two frogs are identical besides their calls and chromosome numbers. These tree frogs are also larger than the ones below. Also note that Gray Tree Frogs are not always gray and can be green. They also have a yellow to orange color on their back legs.
Common Name: Northern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris crepitans
Location: Eastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
Northern Cricket Frog is the only cricket frog in the state. It does not have any distinct markings on its back.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacrus crucifer
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Spring Peeper’s call is one of the first sign of spring. For a small frog, it has a loud call. The Spring Peeper has a noticeable X on its back that makes it easy to identify.
Common Name: Western Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris triseriata
Location: Western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
Location: Southcentral PA
Breeding Season:
Common Name: New Jersey Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris kalmi
Location: Eastern side of the state
Breeding Season:
The Midland, Upland, and New Jersey Chorus frogs appear very similar. The Upland Chorus frog’s stripes on their back can be broken while the other two’s stripes are usually not broken besides sometimes the middle.
Toads
True Toad Family – Bufonidae
The True Toads are your typical toad. They usually have a parotid gland behind their eyes that contain a poison called It is not advised to let your dog eat these guys.
American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus)
Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Statewide besides the northern border
Breeding Season:
The Fowler’s Toad and the American Toad look very much a like but there are some differences in the back of the head and on their belly.
The American Toad’s parotid gland is separated from the cranial crest while the Fowler’s Toad’s touches.
The Fowler’s Toad has a clear, white belly while the American Toad’s belly is speckled.
Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae
Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrooki
Location: Southeastern corner
Breeding Season:
The Eastern Spadefoot toad is the only Spadefoot toad in the state. They live most of their life underground.
