Nothern California Reptiles and Amphibians

The western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) more commonly known as Bufo boreas (both names accurate) is a large toad species, between 5.6 and 13 cm long, of western North America. It has a white or cream dorsal stripe, and is dusky gray or greenish dorsally with skin glands concentrated within the dark blotches. Its parotoid glands are oval, widely separated, and larger than the upper eyelids. It has a mottled venter and horizontal pupils but lacks cranial crests. less ↑

The arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus) (syn. Bufo californicus), is a stocky, blunt-nosed, warty-skinned species of toad, between 5 and 7.5 cm long. It has horizontal pupils, and is greenish, grey or salmon on the dorsum with a light-colored stripe across the head and eyelids. It has light sacral and mid-dorsal patches, large, oval and widely-separated parotoid glands, and weak or absent cranial crests. less ↑

The Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus, formerly Bufo canorus) is a species of true toad in the family Bufonidae (Anaxyrus is a genus of toads distributed across North America). Endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, the species ranges from the montane forests of El Dorado County near Lake Tahoe south to subalpine Fresno County near Tehipite Valley in Kings Canyon. Yosemite toads show a narrow elevational distribution from 6,200 feet to 11,300 feet. They are the... less ↑

The black toad (Bufo exsul), also known as the Inyo toad or Deep Springs black toad, is a true toad that lives only in scattered oases in the Deep Springs Valley of Inyo County, California. In fact, its scientific name, Bufo exsul means "exiled toad," which refers to its species' isolation in a tiny spot in the high desert wilderness of the Californian Great Basin. less ↑

The Woodhouse's Toad, (Bufo woodhousii) is a medium-sized (4 inches or 10 centimetres) true toad, which is native to the United States and Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies. The epithet woodhousii is in honor of the American physician and naturalist Samuel Washington Woodhouse.B. woodhousii tends to hybridize with Bufo americanus in their overlapping ranges. less ↑

The tailed frogs are two species of frogs in the genus Ascaphus, the only taxon in the family Ascaphidae /æˈskæfɨdiː/. The "tail" in the name is actually an extension of the male cloaca. The tail is one of two distinctive anatomical features adapting the species to life in fast-flowing streams. It is the only North American frog that reproduces by internal fertilization. less ↑

The Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla), also known as the Pacific chorus frog, has a range from the West Coast of the United States (from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington) to British Columbia, in Canada. They live from sea level to more than 10,000 feet in many types of habitats, reproducing in aquatic settings. They occur in shades of greens or browns and can change colors over periods of hours and weeks. less ↑

The northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) is a species of amphibian, whose range is the coastal region stretching from southwest British Columbia to southern Mendocino County in Northern California, and is protected in British Columbia, Oregon and California. As a member of the genus Rana, this species is considered a true frog, with characteristic smooth skin and a narrow waist. This frog requires still waters for breeding, and is rarely found at any great distance from... less ↑

The foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) is a small-sized 3.72–8.2 cm (1.46–3.2 in) frog from the Rana genus in the Ranidae family. This species can be found from northern Oregon, down California’s west coast, and into Baja California, Mexico. Both the Columbia spotted frog and the Cascades frog, also part of the Rana genus, live in the northern regions of this frog's territory. They prefer to live in streams and rivers, and lay their eggs in masses attached... less ↑

The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa, meaning "precious frog") is a member of the frog family Ranidae of order Anura. It is a medium-sized aquatic frog endemic to the Pacific Northwest and historically well distributed in the Puget Trough/Willamette Valley province and the Cascade Mountains of south-central Washington and Oregon. It is relatively rare within its range and is listed globally as vulnerable. less ↑

The western spadefoot toad (Spea hammondii) is a relatively smooth-skinned species of spadefoot toad. Its eyes are pale gold with vertical pupils. It has a green or grey dorsum often with skin tubercles tipped in orange, and it is a whitish color on the ventrum. It has a wedge-shaped black spade on each hind foot. Adult toads are between 3.8 and 7.5 cm (1.5 and 2.95 inches) long. less ↑

The Great Basin spadefoot (Spea intermontana) is a species of toad in the Scaphiopodidae family. It is 3.8 to 6.3 cm long and is usually colored gray, olive or brown. Great Basin spadefoot toads have adapted to life in dry habitats. They use the hard, keratinized spade on each foot to dig a burrow, where they spend long periods during cold and dry weather. They are opportunistic hunters and will eat anything they can subdue. While... less ↑

The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis, also known as the xenopus, African clawed toad, African claw-toed frog or the platanna) is a species of African aquatic frog of the Pipidae family. Its name is derived from the three short claws on each hind foot, which it uses to tear apart its food. The word Xenopus means "strange foot" and laevis means "smooth". less ↑

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is an aquatic frog, a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”. This species has traditionally been classified as Rana catesbeiana, however the classification has been changed to Lithobates due to paraphyly in Ranidae. This frog has an olive green back and sides blotched with brownish markings and a whitish belly spotted with yellow or grey. The upper... less ↑

The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) is a vulnerable amphibian native to Northern California. Previously considered to be a tiger salamander subspecies, the California tiger salamander was recently designated a separate species again. The California tiger salamander distinct population segment (DPS) in Sonoma County is listed as federally endangered and in the Santa Barbara County) DPS and Central California DPS, they are federally threatened. The Sonoma County and Santa Barbara County DPS's have been split from... less ↑

The northwestern salamander (Ambystoma gracile) inhabits the northwest Pacific Coast of North America. These fairly large salamanders grow to 8.7 in (220 mm) in length. It is found from southeastern Alaska on May Island, through Washington and Oregon south to the mouth of the Gulala River, Sonoma County, California. It occurs from sea level to the timberline, but not east of the Cascade Divide. Its range includes Vancouver Island in British Columbia and Cypress, Whidbey, Bainbridge,... less ↑

The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) is an endangered subspecies of the long-toed salamander, which is found only close to a few isolated ponds in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in California. It has a black body, broken yellow or orange irregular striping along its spine, and a tail fin well evolved for swimming. Like other mole salamanders, it is found near pools or slow-moving steams and; this creature has a very secretive lifestyle,... less ↑

The California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) is a species of salamander in the Dicamptodontidae family. It is endemic to California, in the western United States. The species name once additionally included individuals now belonging to the species D. aterrimus (Idaho giant salamander) and D. tenebrosus (coastal giant salamander), under the common name Pacific giant salamander, which now refers to the genus and family. less ↑

The Coastal Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) is a species of salamander in the Dicamptodontidae family (Pacific giant salamanders). It is endemic to the United States and Canada. There are three closely related species to this taxon: D. ensatus (California Giant Salamander), D. copei (Cope's Giant Salamander), and D. aterrimus (Idaho Giant Salamander). less ↑

The California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus) is a lungless salamander that is found primarily in coastal mountain areas of Northern California, United States as well as in a limited part of the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, California, in patches of the northern Central Valley of California, and in extreme southwestern Oregon. What makes this amphibian notable is that this species resides primarily in a limited range within California as one of a handful quasi-endemic... less ↑

The Limestone Salamander (Hydromantes brunus) is a lungless salamander, found in a portion of the Merced River Canyon in Mariposa County, California. While Hydromantes is composed of three species found in the United States; H. platycephalus and H. shastae, and Hydromantes is endemic to parts of California, southern France and Italy, the H. brunus is rare and specific to Merced Canyon. This member of the plethodontidae family breathes through its skin and manifests a flattened body... less ↑

The Scott Bar salamander, Plethodon asupak, is a species of salamander in the Plethodontidae family, endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss. Plethodon asupak is a moderate-sized, robust salamander with long limbs. It is purplish-gray with white flecks that condense on the sides and limbs. It frequently has gold spotting in its eyes. Juveniles have paired, reddish dorsal stripes. A species endemic to California, less ↑

The southern torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus) is a member of the Rhyacotritonidae family of salamanders. This species of torrent salamander is found the farthest south in the region. It is a small salamander endemic to the Pacific Northwest from Northern California to Northern Oregon. It is one of four species of Rhyacotriton, along with R. cascadae, R. kezeri and R. olympicus. All species of Rhyacotriton are small, with their body lengths being less than 5 inches. The... less ↑