Toads and Frogs in Ohio
If you are looking to identify a specific toads and frogs in Ohio 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 in Ohio
True Frog Family – Ranidae
The True Frogs are your typical frogs that are generally found along the shores of a lake or pond.
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbiana)
Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbiana
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in Ohio. 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.
Common Name: Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Green Frog is a medium to large sized frog that is green or brown in color. 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.
Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
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: 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.
Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sphenocephalus
Location: Barely into southcentral border area
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: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
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.
Tree Frog Family – Hylidae
Common Name: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
Location: Western half of the state
Breeding Season:
The Blanchard’s Cricket Frog is a small, warty frog that varies in color from tan, brown, or green. They have a dark triangle between their eyes and a dark stripe on their thighs.
Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla veriscolor) and Copes Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Everywhere besides southwestern border of the state
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Eastern and southern edges of the state
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 Frogs calling that I took.
Common Name: Mountain Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brachyphona
Location: Southern border
Breeding Season:
The Mountain Chorus frog looks similar to the other Chorus frogs in the state but it has a specific shape on its back that looks like this )(.
Common Name: Western Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris triseriata
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Western Chorus Frog has three distinct stripes down their back. It’s similar in size to the Spring Peeper and the Mountain Chorus Frog.
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. They can be distinguished from other Chorus Frogs due to their x on their back.
Video of a Spring Peeper calling, thanks to M Dwyer, @MustelidDwyer on twitter
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 Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Statewide
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. Their undersides are speckled. 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: Statewide
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.
Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae
Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrookii
Location: Southern edges of the state
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.