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
Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
Common Name:Â Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name:Â Rana pipiens
Location:Â
Breeding Season:Â
The Northern Leopard Frog has large, distinct spots on its body.
Common Name:Â Columbia Spotted Frog
Scientific Name:Â Rana luteiventris
Location:Â
Breeding Season:
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:Â Wood Frog
Scientific Name:Â Rana sylvatica
Location:Â
Breeding Season:Â
Wood Frog has a distinct and bold mask around its eyes.
Common Name:Â Northern Red-legged Frog
Scientific Name:Â Rana aurora
Location:Â
Breeding Season:
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:Â Oregon Spotted Frog
Scientific Name:Â Rana pretiosa
Location:
Breeding Season:
Oregon Spotted Frog has a slight mask around its eyes. The belly has spots on it.
Common Name:Â Pacific Chorus Frog
Scientific Name:Â Pseudacris regilla
Location:Â
Breeding Season:Â
The Pacific Tree Frog lacks significant striping down its back.
Common Name:Â Boreal Chorus Frog
Scientific Name:Â Pseudacris maculata
Location:Â
Breeding Season:
Boreal Chorus Frog has three stripes that run down its back.
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:Â Coastal Tailed Frog
Scientific Name:Â Ascaphus truei
Location:Â Western side
Breeding Season:
Common Name:Â Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog
Scientific Name:Â Ascaphus montanus
Location:Â Southeastern border
Breeding Season:Â
Toads
Common Name:Â Western Toad
Scientific Name:Â Anaxyrus boreas
Location:Â
Breeding Season:
The Western Toad is the only true toad in the providence. It has a parotoid gland behind its eye that true toads have.
Common Name:Â Great Basin Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name:Â Spea intermontana
Location:
Breeding Season:
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.