Frogs and Toads of North Carolina
North Carolina has over 25 different species of frogs and toads, making it a pretty good froggin state.
Are you looking to identify a specific frog? Check out my page on Frog Identification.
Frogs
North Carolina is home to a rich, variety of frogs from the family Ranidae and Hylidae.
True Frog Family – Ranidae
There are seven species of true frogs in North Carolina. These are your general backyard pond frogs.
Common Name: Gopher Frog
Scientific Name: Rana capito
Location: Southern part of North Carolina
Breeding Season: February to April
The Gopher Frog is listed as an endangered species in the state of North Carolina. The frog has a nearly complete dorsal ridge and has slightly warty skin.
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)
Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Throughout the state
Breeding Season: April to August
The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in North Carolina. The frog lacks a dorsal ridge down its back. The males of the species have bright yellow colored throats while the females just have white throats. They are found near permanent bodies of water. They are very similar to Green Frogs but they don’t have a dorsal ridge down their back. It wraps around their tympanum.
Bronze / Green Frog (Rana clamitans)
Common Name: Bronze Frog, Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Throughout the state
Breeding Season: April to August
The Bronze Frog looks identical to the American Bullfrog but it has an incomplete dorsal ridge down the back. The males of the species have bright yellow colored throats while the females just have white throats.
*Species of Special Concern*
Common Name: River Frog
Scientific Name: Rana heckscheri
Location: Southern part of the state but hasn’t been seen in 20 years
Breeding Season: April to August is when they breed in nearby states
The 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: Everywhere besides the western edge
Breeding Season: late winter to early spring
The Southern Leopard frog has large spots on its body and a complete dorsal ridge.
Common Name: Pickeral Frog
Scientific Name: Rana palustris
Location: Everywhere besides the coast
Breeding Season: February to early April
The Pickeral Frog can be easily confused with the Leopard Frog but the Pickeral Frog has more rectangular “spots” than the leopard.
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvaticus
Location: Western edge of the state and Hyde and Tyrrell counties
Breeding Season: Winter mostly during February
The Wood Frog is a very easy to identify because of their mask around their face. They vary in color from brown, silver, or red. The frog is often found in the woods, far away from any water bodies.
Common Name: Carpenter Frog
Scientific Name: Rana virgatipes
Location: East coast
Breeding Season: Late April to early August
Carpenter Frog is identifiable because of their brown color and two yellow lines that run down their back.
Tree Frog Family – Hylidae
North Carolina is home to a wide variety of tree frogs from three different genera. Not all the tree frogs make their homes in the trees, but some on the ground.
Cricket Frogs – Acris
Common Name: Northern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris crepitans
Location: Everywhere besides the east coast
Breeding Season: April to August
Common Name: Southern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris gryllus
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season: 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.
Tree Frog – Hyla
Common Name: Pines Barren Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla andersonii
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season: March to October
Pine Barrens Tree Frog is identifiable because of its purple stripe from its eye down its side.
Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor)
Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Warren and Caswell counties
Breeding Season: April to August
The Eastern Gray Tree Frog is listed as a Significantly Rare species by the N.C. Natural Heritage Program.
Here’s a video of them calling
Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Throughout the state
Breeding Season: April to August
The Gray Tree Frogs are identical besides their calls. They also have a yellow / orange marking on their hind legs.
Common Name: Green Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season: April to September
Green Tree Frog has a white line down its side of the face and the side of its body.
Common Name: Pine Wood’s Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla femoralis
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season: March to October
The Pine Wood’s Tree Frog has orange dots or spots on the inner back legs.
Common Name: Barking Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla gratiosa
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season: April to September
The Barking Tree frog has much rougher skin than any other tree frog.
Common Name: Squirrel Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla squirrela
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season: April to August
The Squirrel Tree Frog lacks a white line down its side and has smooth skins.
Chorus Frog – Pseudacris
Common Name: Mountain Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brachyphona
Location: Western point of the state
Breeding Season: February to April
Mountain Chorus Frog can be identified by the marking on its back. The mark looks like inverted parenthesis.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season: November to April
The Spring Peeper is distinguished by the X shaped marking on its back.
Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
Location: Middle of the state
Breeding Season: Winter and early Spring
The Upland Chorus Frog has three stripes down its back. The stripes are often broken.
Common Name: Southern Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris nigrita
Location: Eastern part of the state
Breeding Season: January to March
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: Little Grass Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris ocularis
Location: Eastern Coast
Breeding Season: January to September
Little Grass frog has a line that runs through the eye and down its side. There are no spots on its chest. They are the smallest frog in the state.
The Little Grass Frog is the smallest frog in North America. Here is a video of one calling, thanks to Arik Hartmann
Common Name: Brimley’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brimleyi
Location: Eastern Coast
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: Ornate Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris ornata
Location: Eastern Coast
Breeding Season: December to March
Ornate Chorus Frog has a line that runs through the eye and down its side. The lines are often broken.
Toads
North Carolina has a good amount of different toad species from three different families. Only members of the family Bufonidae produce Bufotoxin, a toxin that you don’t want to ingest.
True Toad – Bufonidae
North Carolina’s true toads kinda all look alike so identifying them can be hard. These toads are toxic so don’t eat them and wash your hands after touching them.
Common Name: Oak Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: East Coast
Breeding Season: April to August
The Oak Toad is the most easily identifiable toad out of the group of four 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: Western half with isolated population in northeastern corner
Breeding Season: February to April
The American Toad is the largest toad in North Carolina.
Common Name: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: April to July
Common Name: Southern Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus terrestris
Location: East Coast
Breeding Season: late February to May
The remaining three species of toads in North 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 while the American Toads’s parotid gland does not touch or connected to it by a spur. Here’s an easy map I found that helps me.
Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae
There is only one species of Spadefoot Toad in North Carolina. Members of the family are known for their spades on their rear legs.
Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrookii
Location: Mostly in the east but isolated populations in the west
Breeding Season: Anytime after heavy rain
The Easten Spadefoot Toad is the only species of Spadefoot toad in North Carolina so if the toad has a spade on its rear foot, its the Eastern Spadefoot toad. They are a fossorial species, hiding underground during the day and only coming out at night to hunt for food.
Narrowed Mouth Toad Family – Microhylidae
There is only one species of Narrowed Mouth Toad in North Carolina.
Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouth Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season: April to October
The Eastern Narrow Mouth Toad is the only Narrowed Mouth toad in the state. Their narrow head makes them easy to identify. The toads can create secretions that humans do not want to get into their eyes or mouth. Please wash your hands after handling them and all frogs and toads.
I live in Arden, Nc, and saw an unusual frog here (on my garage door window, in the rain): it as golden in color, and the body was less than 1″long, on Wednesday night, Aug.1, 2018, about 9:30 PM. Wish I’d been quick enough to catch it, since I’ve Never seen this ever before. Can anyone identify it for me?
Please help me identify these Extremely small frog/toads. I have never seen anything like that and it’s as small or smaller than my fingernail. I found them in my flower bed under railroad ties under the dirt. I have 12 in an aquarium. I want to know what to feed them because I worry they would die from predators. Please help me.
do you have pictures of them? also you can probably feed them crickets from a pet store
I’ve found that putting ripe banana pieces in wee cups or lids attracts the insects that small frogs may prey on.