North Carolina Amphibians By Name
Click below to discover the many fascinating amphibians that swim, skitter, hop, crawl, and float around North Carolina.
American Toad
Bullfrog
Eastern Newt
Green Frog
Green Tree Frog
Squirrel Tree Frog
Overview of the Amphibian Orders
Frogs and Toads: Order Salientia
Families Include:
- Ascaphidea – Tailed Frogs*
- Bufonidae – Toads
- Hylidae – Treefrogs
- Leptodacttlidae – Leptodactylid Frogs*
- Microhylidae – Narrow-mouthed Frogs
- Pelobatidae – Spadefoot Toads
- Pipidae – Tongueless Frogs*
- Ranidae – True Frogs
- Rhinophrynidae – Burrowing Toads*
*No species classified within this family is found in North Carolina
North Carolina Frog and Toad Species Include:
- American Toad (Bufo americanus)
- Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)
- Green Frog (Rana clamitans)
- Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea)
- Squirrel Tree Frog (Hyla squirella)
General Characteristics of Frogs and Toads
- Well-developed, splayed fore legs
- Long, muscular hind legs, adapted for jumping
- Tail-less in their adult forms
- Strong-voiced; communicate through sound and have large, well-developed tympanums on their heads.
- Carnivorous as adults.
- Most—but not all—species lay their eggs in water, and go through a tadpole stage before transforming into their adult forms.
Salamanders: Order Caudata
Families Include:
- Cryptobranchidae – Giant Salamanders
- Sirenidae – Sirens
- Salamandridae – Newts
- Proteidae – Mudpuppies and Waterdogs
- Amphiumidae – Amphiumas
- Ambystomidae – Mole Salamanders
- Plethodontidae – Lungless Salanders
North Carolina Salamander Species Include:
- Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
General Characteristics of Salamanders
- Secretive, rarely encountered casually
- Typically nocturnal
- Carnivorous throughout their lives
- Slender bodies with long tails and four legs of equal length and size.
- Often mistaken for lizards.
- Differentiated from lizards by:
- Moist skin
- Lack of claws
- Lack of external ear openings
- Differentiated from lizards by:
- Most species lay eggs in water; some lay eggs in moist cavities on land.
- Larvae that hatch underwater bear gills that are lost during transformation to adult form (Behler and King 2020).
- Larvae that hatch on land look like miniature adults (Behler and King 2020).