Frogs and Toads of South Carolina

If you are looking to identify a specific frogs and toads 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

South Carolina is home to a rich variety of frogs and toads from a few different families.

True Frog Family – Ranidae

Bronze /Green Frog (Rana clamitans)

Common Name: Bronze / Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season:

The Green Frog is a medium to large sized frog varying in color from green to brown. 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. They have an incomplete dorsal ridge down their side.

Common Name: Pig Frog
Scientific Name: Rana grylio
Location: Southern part of state
Breeding Season:

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season:

The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in the North America. It looks very similar to the Green Frog but the dorsal ridge wraps around the tympanum. 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.

Common Name: River Frog
Scientific Name: Rana hecksheri
Location: Eastern half of state
Breeding Season:

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: Throughout state
Breeding Season:

The Southern Leopard Frog is a medium to large sized frog that is brown or green in color with spots over their body. They have a white spot on their tympanum and their dorsal ridge goes straight all the way down their back.

Common Name: Pickeral Frog
Scientific Name: Rana palustris
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

The Pickerel Frog is a medium to large sized frog. Their dorsal ridge runs down from their eye to their back and inside there is rectangular boxes.

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Western part of the state
Breeding Season:

The Wood Frog is a s small to medium sized frog. They vary in color from brown, silver, or red and they have dark “raccoon” eyes. They are more terrestrial than most True Frogs.

Common Name: Gopher Frog
Scientific Name: Rana capito
Location: Eastern part of state
Breeding Season:

The Gopher Frog is a medium sized frog that is tan, brown, or dark in color with many black or dark brown spots. They have a raised, thick dorsal ridge that runs down most of their back. Their skin is more warty than most frogs. The Gopher Frog is listed as an endangered species by the state of South Carolina.

Common Name: Carpenter Frog
Scientific Name: Rana virgatipes
Location: Eastern part of state
Breeding Season:

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

Tree Frog Family – Hylidae

Tree Frogs in South Carolina can be broken down into three groups or genus –  Cricket Frogs (Acris), Tree Frogs (Hyla), and Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris).

Cricket Frogs – Acris

Common Name: Northern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris crepitans
Location: Everywhere besides the coastal region
Breeding Season:

The Northern Cricket Frog is a small, warty frog that varies in color from green, brown, and gray. It does not have any distinct markings on its back.

Common Name: Southern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris gryllus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

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.

Tree Frogs – Hyla

Common Name: Bird-Voiced Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla avivoca
Location: Southern border
Breeding Season:

Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season:

Cope’s Gray Tree Frog is found throughout the state. While named Gray Tree Frog, the frog can be green in color.

Common Name: Pinewood’s Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla femoralis
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

The Pinewoods Frog is a medium sized frog ranging in color from brown, gray, or green. They have orange spots on their inner thighs.

Common Name: Pine Barrens Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla andersonii
Location: Northcentral South Carolina
Breeding Season:

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

Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea)

Common Name: Green Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla cincerea
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

The Green Tree Frog is a medium sized, smooth skinned, green frog with a distinct white stripe down its side. Yellow specks can be found on the backs of some frogs.

Common Name: Barking Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla gratiosas
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

The Barking Tree Frog is a large, bright green frog with a white line on their lip that goes down their side and coarse skin.

Common Name: Squirrel Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla squirella
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

The Squirrel Tree Frog is a medium sized, green or brown frog with a white lip and smooth skin. They can be spotted.

Chorus Frogs – Pseudacris

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Statewide
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. The Peeper has a distinct X on its back that the other tree frogs in the state lack.

Video of a Spring Peeper calling, thanks to M Dwyer, @MustelidDwyer on twitter

Common Name: Southern Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris nigrita
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

The Southern Chorus Frog is the darkest of all the Chorus Frogs. It has three stripes that can be broken or even spots.

Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
Location: Western half
Breeding Season:

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

Common Name: Brimley’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brimleyi
Location: Eastern part of the state
Breeding Season: December to April

Brimley’s Chorus Frog has a line that runs through the eye and down its side. It has spots on its chest.

Common Name: Little Grass Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacrus ocularis
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

Little Grass frog has a line that runs through the eye and down its side. There are no spots on its chest. It is the smallest frog in North America. Here is a video of one calling, thanks to Arik Hartmann

Common Name: Ornate Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris ornata
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

Ornate Chorus Frog has a line that runs through the eye and down its side. The line can often be broken.

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.

Common Name: Oak Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus quercicus
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:

The Oak Toad is the most easily identifiable toad out of the group of four toads in the state. It is the smallest of the group and has a light line down its back. The Oak Toad also has orange on the bottom of its feet.

American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)

Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Northwestern corner
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. The toads can be found pretty much anywhere including urban areas. The American Toads’s parotid gland does not touch or connected to it by a spur.

Common Name: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Everywhere besides the coastal area
Breeding Season:

The Fowler’s Toad is a small to medium sized toad ranging in color from brown, gray, and olive with a clear, white underside and a white stripe down its back. Its parotid gland touches its postorbital ridge.

Common Name: Southern Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus terrestris
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season:

The remaining three species of toads in South Carolina are a lot harder to distinguish between. To identify the differences, you have to look at the top of the head. The Southern Toad has knobs on the back of its head. The Fowler’s Toad’s parotid gland touches its postorbital ridge around its eye. Here’s an easy map I found that helps me.

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Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae

Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrooki
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

The Eastern Spadefoot Toad is a small to medium sized toad ranging in color from tan to brown with small warts They have bright yellow eyes with elliptical pupils. They have a dark spade on their hind feet.

Narrowed Mouth Toads – Microhylidae

Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

The Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad is a small, smooth toad that varies in color from gray, brown, black, and tan. They have a pointy head and a fat little body.

Invasive Species

Common Name: Greenhouse Frog
Scientific Name: Eleutherodactylus planirostris
Location: Southeastern corner
Breeding Season:

The Greenhouse Frog is a small frog native to the Caribbean. It has spread around because of the trade of tropical plants.