April 2021 - 22

Wyoming Frogs

Descriptions and maps based on information from Wyoming Biodiversity Institute

Frogs

(Photo by Jared Draxler)

Northern leopard frog range

(Photo by Zack Walker/WGFD)

Columbia spotted frog range

Northern leopard frog

Wood
Northern
frogleopard frog

Size: 1 inch (metamorph) to 4.5
inches (adult)
Description: Skin is relatively
smooth. The dorsal, or upper,
side of the frog is green, olive
or brown with large, dark, oval
spots with pale edging. The
lower (ventral) side of the frog is
creamy white.
Breeding habitat: Shallow
water in marshes and ponds, or
slow-moving backwater areas
along rivers or streams.

Size: .75 inch (metamorph)
to 3.5 inches (adult)
Description: The most distinct characteristic is the black
marking across its eyes, which
resembles a mask. Bodies can
be varying shades of brown with
a white dorsal stripe, except in
the Bighorn Mountains where no
dorsal stripe is present.
Breeding habitat: Shallow water
in small forest ponds and potholes, or in flooded meadows.

(Photo by Katherine Luenberger)

Wood frog range

Columbia spotted frog

Boreal chorus frog

Size: .75 inches (metamorph)
to 3.9 inches (adult)
Description: Adults are tan to
dark olive with irregular dark
spots, often with light centers.
The underside of the legs and
lower abdomen are red to orange.
Breeding habitat: Shallow,
stagnant or slow-moving water
including temporary ponds and
marshes, lakes and backwater
areas of streams.

Size: .75 inch (metamorph)

to 1.5 inches (adult)

(Photo by Jared Draxler)

Boreal chorus frog range

Description: The smallest frog
in Wyoming, the color varies
from green, tan or rust red. This
frog typically has three sets of
dark stripes down its back. The
stripes are often broken into
spots. A dark mask extends
from the nose to the groin.
Breeding habitat: Shallow
water with emerging vegetation.

Invasive Frog
American bullfrog

(Photo by Jack Ballard)

Size: 2 inches (metamorph) to 6 inches (adult)
Description: Light green to dark olive or brown with dark spots
or mottling. Belly is cream to yellow with dark mottling.
Breeding habitat: Shallow portions of permanent bodies of
water with vegetation with a preference for warm water.

22 | April 2021

It is unclear if bullfrogs were ever native to Wyoming, but Wendy EstesZumpf, Wyoming Game and Fish Department herpetological coordinator,
said if they were it would be in a small area in eastern Wyoming near
the Nebraska border along the North Platte River drainage.
Bullfrogs are native to the eastern United States. When intentionally
or accidentally introduced into new areas, they can become invasive
and damage populations to native amphibians and local ecosystems.
In the summer of 2019, Game and Fish discovered a number of
bullfrogs in Mavrakis Pond in Sheridan, and at several sites along Big
Goose Creek outside of Sheridan. Bullfrogs also have successfully
colonized in some aquatic areas in western Wyoming.
If you see a bullfrog in Wyoming not in its native habitat, contact a
Game and Fish regional office.

http://www.uwyo.edu/biodiversity/ https://www.wyomingbiodiversity.org/index.php/community-science/rocky-mountain-amphibian-project/monitoring-information/wyomings-amphibians/northern-leopard-frog-lithobates-pipiens

April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2021