Frogs and Toads of Oregon
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
Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
Location: Northeastern edge of the state
Breeding Season:
The Northern Leopard Frog has a pale complete dorsal ridge and well defined spots all over its body.
Common Name: Cascade Frog
Scientific Name: Rana cascadae
Location: Cascade Mountain range
Breeding Season:
The Cascade Frog has a yellowish underside and not well-defined spots on its body.
Common Name: Oregon Spotted Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pretiosa
Location: Cascade Mountains
Breeding Season:
The Oregon Spotted Frog has a red belly that doesn’t have spots on it. The Frog has a more reddish appearance than the Columbia Spotted Frog or the Cascade Frog.
Common Name: Northern Red-legged Frog
Scientific Name: Rana aurora
Location: West of the Cascades
Breeding Season:
The Northern Red-Legged Frog has a red belly that is spotted. The dorsal ridge is full on the frog.
Common Name: Columbia Spotted Frog
Scientific Name: Rana luteiventris
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:
The Columbia Spotted Frog has small spots all over its body and a reddish belly.
Common Name: Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
Scientific Name: Rana boylii
Location: Southwestern Oregon
Breeding Season:
As the name suggests, the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog has yellow on the underside of the legs and belly. It does not have a mask around its face.
Tree Frog Family – Hylidae
Common Name: Pacific Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris regilla
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Pacific Tree Frog is the only native tree frog in the state. Its really a chorus frog too, not even a Hyla Tree Frog.
Tailed Frog Family – Ascaphidae
Common Name: Coastal Tailed Frog
Scientific Name: Ascaphus truei
Location: Western coast of the state
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog
Scientific Name: Ascaphus montanus
Location: Eastern side of the state
Breeding Season:
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: Western Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus boreas
Location: Everywhere besides southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
The Western Toad lacks a cranial crest.
Common Name: Woodhouse’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus woodhousii
Location: Southeastern border of the state
Breeding Season:
The Woodhouse’s Toad has a cranial crest that looks like two opposing L’s.
Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae
Common Name: Great Basin Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea intermontana
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season:
Great Basin Spadefoot Toad is the only spadefoot toad in the state. It has a spade on each of its rear feet which make it easy to distinguish.
Introduced Species
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)
Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Bullfrog is an introduced and invasive species in the state. Its large size and appetite causes serious problems for other wildlife in the state.
