Frogs and Toads of British Columbia, Canada

Canada isn’t home to a lot of frog species but British Columbia has a fair number of species.

Frogs

True Frog family – Ranidae

Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)

Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
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The Northern Leopard Frog has large, distinct spots on its body.

Common Name: Columbia Spotted Frog
Scientific Name: Rana luteiventris
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The Columbia Spotted Frog has spots just like the leopard frog but they are smaller and lighter in the middle.

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
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Wood Frog has a distinct and bold mask around its eyes.

Common Name: Northern Red-legged Frog
Scientific Name: Rana aurora
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The Red Legged Frog can have a mask around the eyes but its not very well defined. Underside of the hind legs also appear reddish.

Common Name: Oregon Spotted Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pretiosa
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Oregon Spotted Frog has a slight mask around its eyes. The belly has spots on it.

Tree Frog family – Hylidae

Common Name: Pacific Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris regilla
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The Pacific Tree Frog lacks significant striping down its back.

Common Name: Boreal Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris maculata
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Boreal Chorus Frog has three stripes that run down its back.

Tailed Frog family – Ascaphidae

The family Ascaphidae is known for the tails on the male frogs that help with reproduction. No other adult frogs have tails normally.

Common Name: Coastal Tailed Frog
Scientific Name: Ascaphus truei
Location: Western side
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Common Name: Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog
Scientific Name: Ascaphus montanus
Location: Southeastern border
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Toads

True Toad family – Bufonidae

Common Name: Western Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus boreas
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The Western Toad is the only true toad in the providence. It has a parotoid gland behind its eye that true toads have.

Spadefoot Toad family – Scaphiopodidae

Common Name: Great Basin Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea intermontana
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The Great Basin Spadefoot Toad is the only spadefoot toad in the territory. It has a keratonized spade on its rear feet that it uses for digging.

Invasive Frogs

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

The American Bullfrog is a highly invasive frog species. Its introduction to the province signaled a decrease in numbers for other frog populations.