Field guide · Species directory
Amphibians
Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum
The famous Mexican salamander that retains larval features into adulthood (neoteny). Once abundant in the lakes around Mexico City; now crit…
Barking Treefrog
Hyla gratiosa
The largest US treefrog at 2.5 inches, with a distinctive doglike "bark" call that can be heard up to a mile away. They climb high in trees …
Barred Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma mavortium
One of the world's largest land-dwelling salamanders at up to 14 inches. Bright yellow-and-black striped, they're an icon of western prairie…
Boreal Toad
Anaxyrus boreas boreas
A high-elevation toad with warty olive-brown skin and a pale dorsal stripe. Populations have crashed 75–90% across the Rockies since the 197…
Coastal Tailed Frog
Ascaphus truei
One of the most ancient frog lineages on Earth — split off 100+ million years ago. The "tail" on males is actually a copulatory organ for in…
Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
Rana boylii
A medium-sized frog of California foothill streams. Populations have declined dramatically due to dam-altered streamflow and disease.
Houston Toad
Anaxyrus houstonensis
A small toad endemic to a tiny region of central Texas — now teetering on extinction after the 2011 Bastrop fires devastated remaining habit…
Ozark Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi
A subspecies of hellbender restricted to a tiny range. Critically endangered — populations crashed 75%+ over 30 years. Captive breeding at t…
Pine Barrens Tree Frog
Hyla andersonii
A small green frog with distinct purple-brown lateral stripe. Restricted to acidic pine barrens habitats.
Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander
Ambystoma bishopi
A federally endangered salamander restricted to the longleaf pine ecosystem. Down to a few hundred individuals at perhaps 10 sites due to lo…
Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog
Rana sierrae
A native frog of California's high country that has crashed dramatically since the 1970s due to introduced trout (which eat tadpoles) and ch…
Sonoran Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi
A subspecies of barred tiger salamander restricted to a tiny range in southern Arizona. Federally endangered; threatened by introduced bullf…
Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
A handsome black-and-yellow mole salamander that spends most of its life underground, emerging in late winter rains for one explosive night …
Spring Peeper
Pseudacris crucifer
A tiny chorus frog (1 inch long) whose distinctive "peep, peep, peep" male advertisement call announces spring across eastern North America.…
Striped Newt
Notophthalmus perstriatus
A small newt restricted to a tiny range in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Federally listed as endangered due to habitat loss and pon…
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus ochrophaeus
A medium-sized salamander of Appalachian streams. Multiple distinct populations.
American Bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus
North America's largest native frog — body up to 8 inches with massive hindlegs. Famous for the deep "jug-o-rum" call of summer ponds. Invas…
American Toad
Anaxyrus americanus
A familiar warty backyard amphibian and a powerful natural pest controller — one toad eats up to 1,000 invertebrates per night, including sl…
Black-bellied Salamander
Desmognathus quadramaculatus
A medium-sized salamander of southern Appalachian streams.
Blanchard's Cricket Frog
Acris blanchardi
A tiny frog of central US wetlands. Similar to northern cricket frog but considered a distinct species since 2009. Populations declining at …
California Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma californiense
A federally Threatened (and locally Endangered) salamander endemic to California — utterly dependent on the state's now-rare vernal pools an…
Cane Toad (invasive)
Rhinella marina
A massive invasive toad introduced to South Florida. Highly toxic — parotoid glands secrete bufotenin that can kill pets and predators.
Carolina Mountain Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus carolinensis
A medium-sized salamander endemic to specific Appalachian streams.
Cave Salamander
Eurycea lucifuga
A bright orange-red salamander with a long prehensile tail that climbs cave walls and ceilings. They specialize in the "twilight zone" of ca…
Coast Range Newt
Taricha torosa
A small orange-bellied newt with rougher skin than rough-skinned newt. Toxic but to lesser degree than its more dangerous cousin.
Coastal Giant Salamander
Dicamptodon tenebrosus
A massive salamander (up to 13 inches) — the largest fully terrestrial salamander in North America. Adults are often arboreal-leaning, climb…
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Hyla chrysoscelis
A small green-to-gray frog whose loud trilling chorus marks early summer evenings across the eastern US. Indistinguishable from the closely …
Coquí (Puerto Rican)
Eleutherodactylus coqui
A tiny tree frog whose loud male "ko-KEE" call is the iconic sound of Puerto Rican evenings. Listed in Puerto Rico's cultural heritage. Deva…
Crawfish Frog
Lithobates areolatus
A medium-sized frog that lives in crayfish burrows for shelter. Among very few US frogs that depend on crayfish for habitat.
Cumberland Plateau Salamander
Plethodon kentucki
A medium-sized salamander endemic to the Cumberland Plateau.
Dwarf Siren
Pseudobranchus axanthus
A tiny eel-like aquatic salamander much smaller than its greater siren cousin. Spends entire life in water; can survive seasonal pond drying…
Eastern Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
North America's largest salamander at up to 29 inches, hellbenders are sensitive water-quality indicators that breathe primarily through the…
Eastern Newt
Notophthalmus viridescens
A salamander with one of the most fascinating life histories: aquatic larva → terrestrial juvenile (the "red eft") → aquatic adult. The brig…
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereus
A small lungless salamander that breathes entirely through its skin. They're THE most abundant terrestrial vertebrate in eastern North Ameri…
Eastern Spadefoot
Scaphiopus holbrookii
A stocky toad-like amphibian with vertical pupils and a sharp "spade" on each hindfoot used to dig backward into soil. Spends most of life u…
Eastern Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma tigrinum
Stocky tiger salamander with broad spots or bars on dark brown body. Largest fully terrestrial salamander in much of the East.
Eastern Zigzag Salamander
Plethodon dorsalis
A small woodland salamander with a distinctive zigzag pattern down the back (red on dark phase) or a uniformly dark "leadback" phase.
Fowler's Toad
Anaxyrus fowleri
A medium-sized brown toad with a distinctive nasal "WAAAAAH" call (compared to the American toad's smooth trill). They specialize in sandy s…
Great Plains Toad
Anaxyrus cognatus
A medium-sized toad with distinctive dark face markings. Adapted to dry prairie habitats.
Greater Siren (Eastern)
Siren lacertina
A massive eel-like aquatic salamander. Largest fully aquatic salamander in eastern US.
Green Frog
Lithobates clamitans
A common pond frog whose distinctive "plunk" call (like a loose banjo string) is unmistakable on summer evenings. Often confused with the la…
Green Treefrog
Hyla cinerea
A bright lime-green frog with a creamy-white side stripe. The state amphibian of Georgia and Louisiana — and a beloved presence on porch lig…
Jefferson Salamander
Ambystoma jeffersonianum
A slender mole salamander with a dark gray body sometimes flecked with silver-blue. Hybridizes extensively with related species in a complex…
Lesser Siren
Siren intermedia
A smaller cousin of the greater siren — an eel-like aquatic salamander with reduced front limbs, no hindlimbs, and external gills throughout…
Long-tailed Salamander
Eurycea longicauda
A slender yellow-orange salamander with vertical black bars on the tail. The tail can be more than 60% of body length — among the proportion…
Long-toed Salamander
Ambystoma macrodactylum
A wide-ranging Pacific Northwest salamander notable for the dramatically elongated fourth toe on each hind foot, which gives the species its…
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
Bold black-and-white-banded mole salamanders that buck the family trend by laying eggs on land in the fall, in dry pool basins, where they w…
Mexican Spadefoot
Spea multiplicata
A small toad-like amphibian with sharp digging spade on hind feet. Buries underground during dry seasons; emerges to breed in temporary rain…
Mink Frog
Lithobates septentrionalis
A medium-sized greenish-brown frog with dark spots. Named for the musky "mink-like" smell when handled. Cold-water specialist.
Mole Salamander
Ambystoma talpoideum
A short stocky salamander with a broad head — superficially mole-like. Most populations are entirely terrestrial after metamorphosis, but so…
Mountain Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus ocoee
A small woodland salamander of Appalachian high-elevation streams. Closely related to the eastern dusky salamander but restricted to mountai…
Mud Salamander
Pseudotriton montanus
A reddish-brown salamander with black spots — superficially similar to red salamander but with smaller fewer spots. Notoriously difficult to…
Mudpuppy
Necturus maculosus
A fully aquatic salamander that retains its larval gills throughout its life — a condition called neoteny. They breathe with feathery red ex…
Northern Cricket Frog
Acris crepitans
A tiny frog whose metallic "click click click" calls sound like pebbles tapping together. Critically declining at northern range edges (Wisc…
Northern Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus fuscus
A small lungless salamander that's extremely sensitive to water quality — making them an excellent indicator species for stream health. Dusk…
Northern Leopard Frog
Lithobates pipiens
The classic green-with-black-spots "biology class" frog — once incredibly common, now declining sharply across western range. The species wa…
Northern Slimy Salamander
Plethodon glutinosus
A medium-sized black salamander with scattered silver-white spotting. Named for the gluey skin secretions that adhere to predator mouths and…
Northern Spring Salamander
Gyrinophilus porphyriticus
A medium-sized salamander of clean spring streams.
Northern Two-lined Salamander
Eurycea bislineata
A slim yellow-tan salamander with two black stripes running the length of its body. They're among the most abundant stream-edge amphibians i…
Northwestern Salamander
Ambystoma gracile
A medium-sized salamander with prominent parotoid glands. Some populations retain larval features into adulthood (neotenic).
One-toed Amphiuma
Amphiuma pholeter
A small relative of the larger amphiuma — only ~7 inches long. Restricted to a small range. Like its cousin, can deliver a painful bite.
Pacific Chorus Frog
Pseudacris regilla
A small but vocally massive frog — their "krek-ek" calls are the iconic frog sounds in nearly every Hollywood movie, including ones set thou…
Pacific Giant Salamander
Dicamptodon ensatus
A massive salamander up to 13 inches. Adults can climb trees (unusual among salamanders). One of the few salamanders that can vocalize.
Pickerel Frog
Lithobates palustris
Often confused with leopard frogs but distinguishable by paired square spots and a yellow-orange wash on the inner thighs. Their skin secret…
Pigmy Salamander
Desmognathus wrighti
A small salamander endemic to specific Appalachian forests.
Plains Leopard Frog
Lithobates blairi
A medium-sized frog of central US wetlands.
Red Salamander
Pseudotriton ruber
A bright orange-red salamander with scattered black spots and a slightly tubercular body. Among the most photogenic North American amphibian…
Red-spotted Newt
Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens
Subspecies of the eastern newt — eft phase is bright orange and toxic, terrestrial. Adult phase returns to water and turns olive-green. Amon…
Rio Grande Leopard Frog
Lithobates berlandieri
A medium-sized leopard frog of Rio Grande and adjacent waters.
Rough-skinned Newt
Taricha granulosa
A modest-looking newt that contains the same neurotoxin as a pufferfish — tetrodotoxin. A single rough-skinned newt has enough toxin to kill…
Seal Salamander
Desmognathus monticola
A robust dusky salamander with shiny tan-brown skin (the "seal-like" coat gives the name). Common but secretive in Appalachian streams.
Southern Toad
Anaxyrus terrestris
A medium-sized toad with prominent paratoid glands and distinctive vertical crests on the head.
Spadefoot Toad (Eastern)
Scaphiopus holbrookii
A small toad-like amphibian with sharp digging spades on hind feet.
Spotted Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus conanti
A medium-sized dusky salamander. Endemic to specific southeastern stream habitats.
Spotted Frog
Lithobates pretiosus
A medium-sized frog of Pacific Northwest waters. Distinguished from other ranid frogs by subtle features.
Texas Toad
Anaxyrus speciosus
A medium-sized toad endemic to Texas and adjacent areas. Adapted to semi-arid southwestern habitats.
Two-toed Amphiuma
Amphiuma means
A massive eel-shaped aquatic salamander — up to 4 feet — with tiny useless legs, each with two toes. Sometimes called "conger eels" by south…
Wehrle's Salamander
Plethodon wehrlei
A medium-sized salamander endemic to specific Appalachian forests.
Western Chorus Frog
Pseudacris triseriata
A tiny gray-brown frog whose creaky "crreek crreek" trill (like running a fingernail along a comb) fills central prairie wetlands in early s…
Western Spadefoot
Spea hammondii
A small toad-like amphibian endemic to California's vernal pool ecosystem. Populations have crashed with development of Central Valley grass…
Western Toad
Anaxyrus boreas
A medium-sized warty toad with a pale dorsal stripe. Subspecies include the seriously endangered boreal toad of Rockies.
Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus
A small brown frog with a distinctive black "robber's mask" — the most widespread frog in North America and the only one that lives north of…
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