***This post is a part of my series where this year I will be highlighting all of the different states native frogs and toads.  Check out this page to see all of the United State’s native frogs broken down by state. ***

Did you know that Missouri is home to 26 species of frogs and toads?  Here are the frogs and Toads that can be found in Missouri:

American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)

Did you know that Missouri allows a daily harvest limit of 8 frogs per day and possession of up to 16 frogs in aggregate?  These may not be sold unless you have a Class 1 Wildlife Breeder’s permit in which you have your own breeding stock.  A typical bullfrog will be sold for around $3/pound and cost around $12/pound to produce and maintain so the commercial production of bullfrogs has been limited.  Click here to learn more about the frog farming in Missouri.

Photo 1

The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in Missouri.  The bullfrog is also Missouri’s state amphibian.  They are typically green or gray-brown with brown spots. They can grow up to 6″ in length and weigh up to a 1 pound.  The bullfrog can be found near large permanent bodies of water with vegetation near the shorelines.

Bullfrogs will eat almost anything that will fit in their mouths.  They have been known to eat spiders, fish, birds and even small mammals.  It has a very deep call which resembles the mooing of a cow.  Watch the video below to hear!  Both genders of the bullfrog croak.  Their calls may be heard day or night between May and August.

Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

Photo 2

The Boreal Chorus frog is brown with 3 dark lateral stripes or spots down its back with a white upper lip and measures up to 1-1/2″ long. These frogs are typically found near heavily vegetated bodies of water, but also need a shallow open area for breeding.  These frogs may be found statewide except for the southeastern corner of Missouri where it hybridizes with and is replaced by the upland chorus frog.

The boreal chorus frog sounds similar to the spring peeper in that it sounds like fingers running over a comb, however the boreal chorus frog’s call is more tinny and mechanical opposed to the musical whistle of the spring peeper.  Females lay 500-1,500 eggs in groups of 5-300.  Listen to the call below.

Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

photo 4

The Cope’s gray treefrog is smaller and smoother skinned than the gray treefrog.  The gray treefrog and Cope’s gray treefrog can be difficult to tell apart during breeding while they are both mottled.  However, most of the time the Cope’s gray treefrog has a solid lime green colored back.  Similar to the Gray treefrog, it occurs across the state.

Another way the Cope’s gray treefrog can be distinguished from the gray treefrog is by its call.  The Cope’s gray treefrog’s call is short and raspy.  Listen to the video below to hear.

 

Dwarf American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi)

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The dwarf American toad is mainly nocturnal and is most active when the weather is warm and humid. During the winter, the toad will burrow deep into the ground below the frost line.  As the frost line gets deeper, the toads will burrow deeper beneath the ground.    The Eastern American toad prefers rocky and wood areas and will become active at dusk.  This is Missouri’s most common toad.  The dwarf subspecies can be found throughout the southern half of the state.

The toad has a high musical trill which can last upwards of 30 seconds.  The dwarf American toad is highly terrestrial and can only be found in the water for a short period while breeding and laying eggs.

Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus)

The Eastern American toad and the dwarf American toad are very similar.  The differences between the dwarf American toad and Eastern American toad are the dwarf American toad is smaller (2″ or less), reddish brown and has few dark spots on the back.

Photo 6

The Eastern American toad is mainly nocturnal and is most active when the weather is warm and humid. During the winter, the toad will burrow deep into the ground below the frost line.  As the frost line gets deeper, the toads will burrow deeper beneath the ground.    The Eastern American toad prefers rocky and wood areas and will become active at dusk.  This is Missouri’s most common toad.  They can be found throughout the northern half of the state.

The toad has a high musical trill which can last upwards of 30 seconds.  American toad is highly terrestrial and can only be found in the water for a short period while breeding and laying eggs.  Below is a video that shows the American Toad calling.

Eastern narrow mouth toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)**

**Although it bears the name of “toad” it is actually considered to be a frog.

Photo 7

This frog is typically 1″ in length, with females being slightly larger.  One defining characteristic of this frog is the fold of skin on the back of the frogs head.  The eastern narrow mouth toad is grey or brown in color with smooth thick skin.  It can be found in grassy areas on rocky slopes and in rock filled canyons.  They will hide under rocks and can sometimes be found with tarantulas.  As shown in the photo below, they can be found in the southern half of Missouri – typically under flat rocks.

The male eastern narrow mouth toad’s belly will create a substance that will stick the mating pair together.  The female will lay up to 850 eggs on the surface of the water.  They will take 2 days to hatch and will be toadlets within a quick 30-60 days.  It’s call sounds similar to a bleating sheep with a baaaaa.  Several calling frogs together sound like bees or a bunch of toy airplanes.  I was very surprised by the pitch of their call.  Have a listen below:

Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii)

Photo 8

The Eastern Spadefoot has smoother and more moist skin than most toads and is speckled with very tiny warts.  This species typically had a light brown to yellow brown color mottled with dark brown.  The back of the eastern spadefoot may be dark brown with exception of a couple light yellow stripes.  The lines are usually more visible in males.  The Eastern Spadefoot has a vertical pupil in the eye similar to a cat.  They can be found in the sandy soil along the floodplains of streams and rivers.  The Eastern Spadefoot prefers dry habitats with sandy soil, but will breed in flooded fields or ditches in warm rainy weather.  Due to the loss of native sand prairies and wetlands, this species is rare in Missouri.

These spadefoots spend almost all of their time buried under ground, with the exception of breeding time.  During breeding time, the spadefoots emerge from their burrows and the male will let out a short explosive “wank” call which sounds like a call of a crow.  Something odd about these guys is that some people believe that the Eastern spadefoot smells like peanut butter.

 

Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)

Photo 9

The Fowler’s toad is usually brown, grey, olive green and rust red in color with darkened warty spots.  As these toads become adults, a pale stripe will form down its back.  The belly is usually white-ish with one dark spot.  These toads are found in most of the Southern portion of Missouri.  This toad will hybridize with the Woodhouse’s toad in any overlapping areas.

This toad has a long, loud, high pitched W-A-A-A-H-H-H call.  Listen to it in the video below!    It is said that they can be mistaken for a herd of sheep calling in the night.  The Fowler’s toad will make a series of quick, short hops as the American toad will make a few larger hops.  The fowler’s toad will amplexus in June& July.  The female can release 7,000 -10,000 fertilized eggs which will hatch 2-7 days later.

 

Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

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The grey treefrog may range in color from bright green to brown to grey (as shown above).  During the day, they may be found sleeping on tree branches or leaves.  Their toes have a sticky pad which allows them to easily climb vertically up windows, siding, trees; etc.  They may be found throughout the state.

Female grey tree frogs may lay 1,000-3,000 eggs in clusters of 20-90.  Tadpoles can be distinguished by their reddish-orange tails.  Male grey treefrogs have a short melodic trill that lasts only a second.  They will generally call on warm and humid evenings between April & July.  Gray treefrogs overwinter below ground and produce a substance in their blood that functions similar to antifreeze.  Below is a video of the Gray treefrog calling.

 

Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus)

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The great plains toad has numerous warts and prominent ridges on its head.  The females will typically reach 3″ with males being less.  The great plains toad can be found along the Missouri River floodplain.  They burrow well in loose soil and are found at night roadside or in ditches where insects are bountiful.

A female great plains toad will lay up to 20,000 eggs.  The male great plains toad has a long trill call that lasts 20-50 seconds long and can vary depending on the size of the male and the temperature.  Some people have compared this toad’s call to a jackhammer, but go ahead and listen to it for yourself below:

 

Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans melanota)

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The green frog is typically greenish-brown with dark mottling on its head, chest and under its legs.  The throat color ranges to yellow for a male to white for the females.  The green frog is similar to the bullfrog, however the bullfrog is larger and lacks the skin fold behind the eye to mid torso.   The Green Frog is seen nearly statewide, except for the southeastern corner of Missouri where it is replaced by the bronze frog.

Similar to the American bullfrog, the green frog is also a game animal and is protected by a season and bag limit.  These frogs can produce as many as 6 different calls – however the most distinctive sound is a throaty boink that sounds like a loose banjo string being plucked.  Listen to the video below to hear!

Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea)

Photo 13

The green treefrog is slender frog that ranges from bright green to dull green with a white stripe down its side.  These frogs can reach 2.5″ and can be easily frightened.  They are typically found within marshes, swamps, small ponds and streams, but can also be found within brackish water sources.  Sadly much of this species preferred habitat has been destroyed.

On average, a female will lay 400 eggs.  Breeding takes place May through July.  It has been noted that the green treefrog will choose its prey not based on size, but based on activity level.  With the most active being eaten first.  The male’s call is a single note repeated over and over sounding like a “queenk”.  Listen to their call below.

Illinois Chorus Frog (Pseudacris illinoensis)

photo 14

The Illinois chorus frog is a tan to tanish grey frog with many dark brown or grey irregular markings.  This frog has a V shaped marking between the eyes, a dark spot below each eye and a dark line from snout to shoulder.  This member of the treefrog family acts similar to a toad, where most of its years are spent underground in sandy soil.  Habitat changes from filling of wetlands and highway construction are credited with the decline of this population.  Listed as a species of conservation concern it is currently a candidate for federal listing by the U.S. Fish and wildlife services.  It is only found in the lower southeast corner of Missouri.

It breeds in early spring.  Females will lay clusters of eggs during heavy rain and when temperatures exceed 48 degrees F.  It’s call sounds like a high-pitched birdlike whistle as can be heard below:

 

Northern Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus circulosus)

Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)

 

photo 16

The Northern Cricket frog measures an average of 1″ in length with the females being slightly larger.  These frogs can jump a surprisingly long way (5-6′) for their small size.  They can range a combination of black, yellow, orange, green or red stripe on a base of brown or green.  This frog is found almost statewide in Missouri.  They may be found near permanent water sources like slow moving streams, margins of lakes and ponds or around marshy areas.

Breeding occurs in late April to mid-July.  A female will lay up to 400 eggs in groups of 1-7.  Tadpoles have black-tipped tails to entice predators to aim for tail opposed to head.  This frog was named for its breeding call which sounds very much like a chirp or trill of a cricket repeated for about 20 beats or like 2 pebbles clicked together.  Listen to its call below.

 

Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)

Photo 17

The Northern Leopard frog has 2-3 unevenly spaced rows of irregular oval shaped dots on its back.  The northern leopard frog can be found in the northern, central & southeastern portion of Indiana.   This frog is a species of special concern in Missouri.  It occurs in the same area as the plains leopard frog and has been found to hybridize which could explain why the northern leopard frog populations are dwindling even further.

These frogs are opportunistic feeders, meaning that they will eat anything that fits in their mouth including beetles, ants, smaller frogs – including their own species, birds and even garter snakes.  They hibernate underwater in the winter.  It’s call is like a low and rumbling snore and grunt sound.  It has also been known to scream loudly when grasped or frightened by a predator.  Listen below to their call.

 

Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris)

Photo 18

The Pickerel frog looks very similar to the Northern Leopard frog; however the pickerel frog has 2 parallel rows of squareish spots down its back.  They are often found near beaver ponds with dense vegetation.  The pickerel frog may be found in the southern half and eastern edge of the state of Missouri.

Female pickerel frogs lay between 700-2,900 eggs in a globular mass attached to a submerged stick or stem.  The tadpoles will transform into frogs around mid-July based on water temperature.  As a defense the skin of the pickerel frog produces a toxic substance which makes them unappealing to most predators.  Listen to the video below to hear their call.  It sounds similar to a low and slow snore.

Photo 19

This frog is brown with large rounded dark spots with light borders.  As you can see from the photo above, the ear drum is very distinct.  The Plains leopard frog is known for its distinctively broken and displaced skin ridges along the back and can reach 3-3/4″.  They can be found near streams, ponds, creeks and ditches.  In wet, mild weather, they may be found far away from water.  The range of the Plain’s leopard frog is statewide, except for the Ozarks.

Female plains leopard frogs will lay a mass of eggs which can hold up to 6,500 eggs.  Tadpoles will become frogs in midsummer or may even transform the following spring.  The plains leopard frog’s call includes a few low grunting sounds along with a series of short clucks.  Listen to their call below:

 

Plains Spadefoot (Spea bombifrons)

Photo 20

The Plains spadefoot is known for its vertically elongated pupil and markings similar to a hourglass on its upper sides.  The spadefoot may have some green on its back and sides and some tiny reddish warts.  On the underside of each hind foot, there is a wedge shaped spade.  They can be found in the loose sandy soils of the Missouri River floodplain.

The plains spadefoot spends most of its life buried in the soil, but will emerge to breed after heavy rains in spring or summer.  The plains spadefoot is an explosive breeder and many frogs will appear suddenly after a heavy rain.  A female can produce up to 2,000 eggs which will hatch in a few days.  They produce a compound in their blood which keep their blood from freezing in the winter.  The call of the plains spadefoot is a brief snoring sound.  Take a listen below.

 

Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)

Photo 21

The southern leopard frog is a greenish brown color and has 2 yellow lines down the back and one above the lip.  These frogs can be found in shallow freshwater or slightly brackish water.  They are usually found a powerful jump or two away from the water, however in summer they may be found far from the water where they venture for insects.  They can be found in all 3 counties within Delaware.

The southern leopard frogs call sounds like a squeaky balloon or chuckling croak.  Females may deposit 3,000-5,000 eggs in cluster within the water.  Listen below to hear their call.

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

 

Photo 22

The  spring peeper is one of Missouri’s smallest frogs measuring from 3/4″ to 1-1/4″.  It can be distinguished by it’s dark colored “X”across its back.  This frog is common throughout the state of Missouri in woods next to vegetated swamps and marshes.  It has been threatened in states where the wetland habitat has shrunk.

It’s chorus of a shrill high pitched call can be heard from up to a 1/2 mile away!  Listen to its call in the video below.  The peeper is one of the earliest frog species to breed in the area beginning as early as late February during warm spells.  Similar to the American toad, these frogs spend most of its time on land and only are in the water to breed and lay eggs.  Like most tree frogs, the spring peeper is nocturnal and loves to hunt ants, spiders and other small insects during the evening.

 

Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris feriarum)

photo 23

Upland chorus frogs are usually brown, grey brown or reddish brown in color with darker blotching.  They have 3 stripes running along their back with a dark triangular spot between the eyes.  These frogs are secretive and rarely seen or heard except immediately after it rains.  They can be found in a variety of habitats including vegetated areas not far from a permanent water source.  In Missouri, they can be found in the southeastern corner.  The upland chorus frog will hybridize with the Boreal chorus frog in counties where they overlap.

The call of the upland chorus frog is a raspy trill sound which ascends higher in pitch, similar to running a finger across tines on a comb.  Listen to the males call below.

 

Western narrow mouth toad (Gastrophryne olivacea)**

**Although it bears the name of “toad” it is actually considered to be a frog.

Photo 24

This frog is typically 1-1/2″ in length, with females being slightly larger.  One defining characteristic of this frog is the fold of skin on the back of the frogs head.  The western narrow mouth toad is grey or brown in color with smooth thick skin.  It can be found in grassy areas on rocky slopes and in rock filled canyons.  They will hide under rocks and can sometimes be found with tarantulas.  As shown in the photo below, they can found in the western portion of Missouri along with the Missouri river floodplain.

The western narrow mouth toad’s call is a nasal buzz lasting only 1-4 seconds.  Several calling frogs together sound like bees or a bunch of toy airplanes.  I was very surprised by the pitch of their call.  This is one of the few differences between the Western narrow mouth toad and the Eastern narrow mouth toad.

 

Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)

Photo 25

The Wood frog is known as a brown, tan or rust colored frog with a dark colored around its eyes.  Some call it a “robbers mask”.  They average from 1-1/2 to 2-3/4″.  These frogs are found in scattered locations across Missouri with populations located in mature forests.  In the 1970’s it was listed as in a danger of extinction, but then new populations were discovered.  It is still listed as vulnerable in Missouri.

Their call sounds like a quacking of a duck.  Watch the video below to hear!  Three interesting facts about the wood frog, is that while the frogs do not show any paternal care to their young, it has been discovered that tadpoles that have been separated from parents can pick their parents out and aggregate around them.  Secondly, the wood frog is very tolerable to cold temperatures.  These frogs can tolerate complete freezing of up to 65% of their body as they pump any water within their body to their extremities and at the same time pump large amount of glucose from the liver into their cells.  This creates a syrupy sugar solution which acts as antifreeze within their body.  Their blood will freeze, the heart will stop beating and all breathing and muscle movements cease until early spring as they begin to thaw and re-animate.  Lastly, all the male wood frogs will gather in a fishless pond or pool to call from sundown to midnight.  After 2-3 nights all eggs will be laid and all wood frogs will leave the area.  The wood frog can live to be 10 years old.

Woodhouse’s Toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii)

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Woodhouse’s toad can vary in color from yellowish brown to greenish grey with a light stripe down the middle of its back.  They can reach up to 4″ in length!  These toads can be found along the Missouri River Floodplain and along streams in the western portion of Missouri.  They burrow into soil to escape drought and cold.  Woodhouse’s toads are named after a 19th century explorer and naturalist Samuel Woodhouse ( Formally called the Rocky Mountain toads).

These toads breed from late March to mid-May in marshes, rain pools and other areas lacking strong current.  This toad’s call is a loud wahhhhhh lasting between 1-4 seconds and emitted several times a minute. This call is similar to the Fowler’s toad, but with a slightly lower pitch.

 

Thanks for reading! Check out all of the United State’s native frogs and toads here.

Photo Credits:

Cover photo used by the creative commons license.  Text was added.  See Original photo by JatPainter1 here.

1. 1. 1. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Brian Gratwicke.  Original Photo Here.
      2. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by J. N. Stuart.  Original Photo Here.
      3. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by nicolas_gent.  Original Photo Here.
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      5. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Andy Kraemer.  Original Photo Here.
      6. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Brian Gratwicke.  Original Photo Here.
      7. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Rusty Clark.  Original Photo Here.
      8. Photo from Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.  Original photo here.
      9. Photo from Wikipedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Perlick Laura.  Original Photo Here.
      10. Photo from ADW  used under the creative commons license.  Photo taken by James Harding.  Original Photo Here.
      11. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Galactor.  Original Photo Here.
      12. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Brian Gratwicke.  Original Photo Here.
      13. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Jarek Tuszynski.  Original Photo Here.
      14. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Stanley Trauth.  Original Photo Here.
      15. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Andrew Hoffman.  Original Photo Here.
      16. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren.  Original Photo Here.
      17. Photo from Wikipedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Brian Gratwicke.  Original Photo Here.
      18. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Brian Gratwicke.  Original Photo Here.
      19. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Andrew Hoffman.  Original Photo Here.
      20. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Stanley Trauth.  Original Photo Here.
      21. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Bob Warrick.  Original Photo Here.
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      24. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Fernando Mateos-Gonzalez.  Original Photo Here.
      25. Photo from Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by Brian Gratwicke.  Original Photo Here.
      26. Photo from Flickr Wikimedia Commons used under the Creative Commons license.  Photo taken by J.N. Stuart.  Original Photo Here.

For more information:

1. https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/search?f[0]=field_fg_types%3A5590&f[1]=types%3A5646
2. https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/general-species-information/amphibian-and-reptile-facts
3. https://mdc.mo.gov/property/pond-stream-care/ponds-fish-frog-management/frog-farming-facts

 

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