There are seven (7) species of toads and twenty-five (25) species of frogs in Mississippi. This adds up to a total of thirty-two (32) anuran species in the US state of Mississippi.
This article contains a list of the various species of toads and frogs in Mississippi. It includes information peculiar to the species in adulthood, as both toads and frogs have certain similar characteristics.
They both have four legs with webbed feet. The forelegs have four digits while the hindlegs have five. They have widely spaced eyes to see a wide range and external ears for sensing sound and movement in the form of vibrations.
On their backs, frogs and toads are colored to match the surroundings they live in. This dorsal coloration can be affected by temperature, substrate, and other environmental factors.
Underneath them, their bellies are usually white or some other pale color. This is in order to blend with the light entering into whatever water body they are in so that aquatic predators fail to sense them easily.
In all, they show cryptic adaptation to their environment, by coloration, as they are colored in such a way that makes them less conspicuous to their predators. This is also an anti-predator mechanism.
Common predators of frogs and toads include birds, fish, larger amphibians and reptiles, snakes, turtles, raccoons, otters, and sometimes humans. Another antipredator mechanism, used mostly by frogs, is to jump away with their long legs.
Toads have stockier bodies and short legs, so they find it hard to jump or hop away quickly. Instead, they have poisonous secretions from warts on their dry skins and their paratoid glands. These secretions are harmful to predators, including human beings.
Toads and frogs are insectivorous and love to live solitarily until the breeding season. In this breeding season, they are found in large groups as males call to females with a mating or advertisement call and females respond by converging at breeding pools.
Peculiar information about this species found in this article, with a focus on adults, are geographic range, habitats of choice, physical descriptions, behaviors, calls, and additional anti-predation techniques.
Unless otherwise indicated, these frog and toad species are not endangered or facing the threat of extinction.
Table of Contents
Species of Frogs in Mississippi
1. Northern Cricket Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Acris crepitans
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 1.3 to 3.6 cm (0.5 to 1.5 in)
- Lifespan: 4 months in the wild, up to 4.9 years in captivity
The northern cricket frog may be found in the eastern and central regions of the United States. The species is also found in parts of Canada and Mexico.
Despite being members of the tree frog family, Hylidae, these frogs do not climb trees. They are usually found along the edges of streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds with budding subaquatic vegetation.
They are small with warts on their skin. They have small waists, webbed toes, and a triangle mark between their eyes. Their hind limbs are fairly long but do not have toe pads for climbing.
Dorsal coloration in these frogs is usually gray, light brown, or green. Many of them have a mid-dorsal stripe, colored in any shade between orange and brown, running down their backs.
They have dark bands or stripes on their thighs. From each eye, there is a line on the northern cricket frog reaching each forelimb.
They are diurnal, showing more activity during the day than at night. The call of the northern cricket frog sounds much like two stones clicking together rapidly. They prefer to live around open shallow water.
A common anti-predator technique of hylid frogs is their ability to live in trees. This frog compensates for a lack of that ability with a powerful jump of over three feet. It jumps in a zigzag manner to escape its attackers.
2. Southern Cricket Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Acris gryllus
- Other Names: Southeastern cricket frog
- Adult Size: 1.2 to 3.3 cm (0.5 to 1.3 in)
- Lifespan: typically 4 months
Southern cricket frogs occur largely in the southeastern part of the United States. You can find these frogs in Mississippi, Virginia, Louisiana, Florida, and some other states in the southeast and southwest.
They love to live in temperate regions and are seen mostly on the ground. They occur in forests, lakes, streams, swamps, and shallow ponds with vegetation. They also live in illuminated freshwater areas.
Frogs of this species resemble the northern cricket frogs, but they are smaller and have more slender bodies. The two species do not occur together however and can be told apart quite easily.
Southern cricket frogs have more pointed snouts, less webbing on their feet, less prominent warts on their skin, and dark longitudinal stripes on their thighs. Males have darker throats while females have white or whitish throats.
Dorsal coloration is usually black, brown, reddish brown, tan, olive green, or gray. A longitudinal stripe is noticed on this frog, from the top of its snout and running along its back. This line is usually in a color contrasting the frog’s skin.
This species is also diurnal. Its call is a rapid “glick-glick-glick”, resembling the sound of two marbles or stones hitting together quickly. The rhythm and pitch of this frog’s call always remain the same.
Their call also sounds like a chirp. It is very fast and constant, with one chirp per second. Southern cricket frogs possess a jump range of eight feet, and they employ it to evade predators.
3. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 1.5 to 3.8 cm (0.6 to 1.5 in)
- Lifespan: 1.4 years in the wild, up to 4.9 years in captivity
Frogs of this species can be found in the central, midwestern, and southeastern parts of the United States, and in parts of Canada and Mexico. They occur in such states as Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, Colorado, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Virginia.
They typically occur in moist habitats and enjoy living in sandy regions. They live mostly along permanent and semi-permanent water bodies like lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams.
Blanchard’s cricket frogs are small in size with large warts on their skin. They are usually tan, brown, reddish-brown, or olive green in color. They sometimes have red, green, or black blotches on their skins.
A broad stripe may be seen running down their backs. They usually have a dark triangular mark on top of their heads, visible and located between their eyes.
Blanchard’s cricket frogs are highly aquatic as they tend to remain around water even after breeding. They are nocturnal, showing most activity when the air is humid.
Their call is a series of metallic clicks, sounding like two pebbles tapped together.
4. Collinses’ Mountain Chorus Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Pseudacris collinsorum
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 2.5 to 3.8 cm (1 to 1.5 in)
- Lifespan: 5 years in the wild
This species of frog was recently split from the Appalachian mountain chorus frog. It is native to Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi.
They are found on elevated slopes and forests, sometimes far away from water. It is endemic to hilly regions of the southeastern United States and inhabits dry and pine-dominated areas. Not a lot of information exists on this species, however.
Collinses’ mountain chorus frogs are a vulnerable species. They are small with tan or brown skin and patterns similar to other chorus frogs. They have markings on their skin and triangular mark on their head.
These frogs also have dark-colored crescent-shaped patterns on their backs, resembling parentheses. These lines or patterns are curvier than patterns found on other chorus frogs.
5. Southern Chorus Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Pseudacris nigrita
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 2.1 to 3.3 cm (0.83 to 1.3 cm)
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years in the wild
Southern chorus frogs have been known to inhabit the southern parts of the United States. You can find these frogs in South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida.
They live in pine forests, near limestone sinkholes, and in sandy soil. They use both temporary and permanent water bodies and are present in bogs, marshes, ponds, lakes, and along borders of prairie streams and rivers.
Their dorsal skin is usually brown, gray, or tan with three longitudinal stripes on it. It is mainly smooth but there are some bumps on it.
Bands of a darker hue are noticed in their eyes. Like other chorus frogs, they have a white line running along their lips. Males and females can be this apart by the color of their throats and their overall size.
Male southern chorus frogs have rusty or orange-colored throats, while females have brighter-colored throats, usually white. Although frogs of these species are generally small in size, males are slightly smaller than females.
They are nocturnal frogs that breed at night and hide in long blades of grass to avoid predation. Their calls are described as a slow trill. Their habits have not been adequately studied.
6. Upland Chorus Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
- Other Names: Southeastern chorus frog
- Adult Size: 1.9 to 3.5 cm (0.75 to 1.4 in)
- Lifespan: 1 to 3 years
The upland chorus frog occurs in and is endemic to the southeastern and eastern parts of the United States. In South Carolina’s coastal plain, there are a few isolated frogs of this species.
Preferred habitats of these frogs include meadows, moist forests, ponds, and marshes. They are also found in wetlands, woodlands, grassy areas, and bogs.
Upland chorus frogs are quite small. Their backs are usually brown or gray in color. They have markings on their backs which vary highly across individuals, with the dorsum looking spotted or streaked.
A light line can be noticed across the upper lip. There is also a dark stripe running through the eye and down the back. Three longitudinal stripes may be noticed running down their backs, but these lines are usually broken in their presence or entirely absent.
Males are physically different from females. They have a large vocal sac under their chin which is absent in the females. The frogs show more activity at night than in the daytime.
The call of an upland chorus frog has been likened to the sound produced by running a finger down the bristles of a comb. It is smooth and fast.
7. Ornate Chorus Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Pseudacris ornata
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 2.5 to 3.2 cm (1 to 1.5 in)
- Lifespan: 3.5 years
These frogs live in wetlands, woodlands, and grassy areas like prairies. They breed in both temporary or semi-permanent water bodies but are most common in habitats with little to no moisture, like sandhills.
Ornate chorus frogs are very colorful. They are often gray, green, or reddish-brown in color. They have occasional yellow spots on their groins and small yellow spots on the inside of their legs.
Across each of their eyes is a black mask-like stripe. Dark markings are also visible on their sides and groins. The tips of their toes are small and round.
They are nocturnal and like humid weather. The call of an ornate chorus frog is described as sharp metallic “tinks” often repeated successively.
To avoid predators, ornate chorus frogs have a powerful jump. Employing this jump power, they take immense leaps away from predators. They also lie flat when surprised and burrow in the ground away from attackers.
8. Spring Peeper
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
- Other Names: Peeper
- Adult Size: 1.9 to 3.5 cm (0.75 to 1.3 in)
- Lifespan: 3 years in the wild, up to 4 years in captivity
The spring peeper can be found in a lot of eastern states of the United States and parts of Canada. Places they could be found include Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Manitoba.
They live in moist areas around trees, fields, wetlands, grassy lowlands, and ponds. They could also be found living in mud during periods. Outside their breeding season, these frogs are hard to see.
This type of tree frog is usually colored gray, tan, olive-brown, or brown. Its back is X-shaped with an often irregular brown mark on it. It has a white belly and dark bands on its legs.
It has moderately webbed feet and is good at climbing. There are no conspicuous differences between the sexes. It lives in trees mostly as it is adapted for climbing, but it likes to be found on the ground among leaves.
Spring peepers are nocturnal. These small frogs are known for their calls, which mark the beginning of spring. Their calls are chirp-like; they sound like whistles and are high in pitch.
To avoid being attacked, they are cryptically colored and show more activity at night under the cover of darkness. They jump away from predators and also estivate (bury themselves in mud or deep water).
9. Cajun Chorus Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Pseudacris fouquettei
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 3.2 cm (1.25 in)
- Lifespan: 5 years
Cajun chorus frogs are largely found in southeastern states of the US like Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
They are found in different habitats including forests, open fields, and roadside ditches. They are believed to burrow underground in the non-breeding season, as they are hardly seen above ground when not breeding.
Cajun chorus frogs are small in size. They have pointed snouts, and moderately long, robust arms. The digits on their forelimbs lack webbing, but their toes are long, slender, and padded, for climbing.
From each eye to each tympanum, there is a light stripe on this frog’s dorsal skin. Its white or cream belly is light spotted or mottled.
Individuals are usually brown or light gray in color with gold flecking. There could be three brown stripes or three sets of dark spots down their backs.
They are mostly diurnal, and active during the daytime. Their call sounds like the rubbing of one’s thumb against a stiff comb. These frogs have not been observed using any additional escape or defense mechanisms.
10. Bird-Voiced Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Hyla avivoca
- Other Names: Bird-voiced tree frog
- Adult Size: 2.8 to 5.2 cm (1.1 to 2.05 in), 3.2 cm (1.26 in) on average
- Lifespan: 2.5 to 4 years in captivity
The bird-voiced frog is a tree frog species found in the Gulf Coast area and the Mississippi River. It is found in US states like Virginia, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Florida. It is native to the southeastern states of the USA.
It could be found in large-river swamps, rivers, and streams. Males can also be found in trees above the surface of the water before breeding season.
Female bird-voiced frogs are typically almost twice as big as the male ones. The frogs are generally colored green, gray, or black with dark blotches on their backs, dark marks between their eyes, and a pale spot on each side of their heads.
They have smooth skin, dark stripes on their limbs, and dark spots on their white bellies. As their name suggests, they live in trees and so have webbed feet with padding to aid climbing.
Bird-voiced frogs are nocturnal, showing most activity at night. Their call is a series of sharp and bird-like whistles, repeated about 20 consecutive times.
11. Pine Woods Tree Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Hyla femoralis
- Other Names: Morse code frog
- Adult Size: usually around 4 cm (1.57 in)
- Lifespan: 7.8 years (speculatively)
Pine woods tree frogs are native to the southeastern states of the USA.
They occur on the Atlantic plains and the Gulf Coast. States like Louisiana, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina are very conducive for them.
Individuals are likely to be found in temporary wetlands. Some have even been noticed living or breeding in roadside ditches. Breeding takes place around bodies of water like ponds, and when not breeding, these frogs live on trees.
This species of tree frog resembles squirrel tree frogs, but pine woods tree frogs have small brightly colored spots on their thighs. These spots could be white, yellow, or orange and they are not visible when the frog is at rest.
The toes of these frogs are only slightly webbed. Their legs are long, and the females are slightly larger than the males. Dorsal color is usually gray, dull green, light brown, or dark brown.
They are considered the most arboreal tree frogs in the southeastern part of the USA. They are crepuscular, showing more activity at dusk and dawn than at other times of the day.
The call of a pine woods tree frog is a sporadic chatter, distinctive and machine-like. This gives the frog its other name, the Morse code frog. When captured, it lets out long, loud alarm calls to surprise and destabilize its hunter.
12. Squirrel Tree Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Hyla squirella
- Other Names: Chameleon frog, rain frog
- Adult Size: 2.2 to 4.1 cm (1 to 1.5 in)
- Lifespan: up to 8.5 years in captivity
Frogs of this species are native to the southeastern region of the United States of America. They have also more recently been introduced to the Bahamas.
They are found in marshes, swamps, and surrounding areas of lakes and streams. They prefer areas with moisture that can provide them both shelter and food, like gardens, bushes, vines, trees, and shrubs.
Squirrel tree frogs are small in size even in adulthood and they come in various dorsal colors. They are usually gray, green, brown, or yellowish with either solid or patterned skins. Like chameleons, individuals’ skins can change to different colors.
Some have light broken stripes down their sides, and some have partial bars between their eyes. To identify a frog of this species, one might have to go through an elimination process involving other tree frog species with more stable dorsal pattern characteristics.
These frogs are mostly active during the night but can be spotted hunting for insects during the day if it is humid. Their call is usually heard during the rain. It sounds like the chattering of a squirrel, hence the name.
13. Barking Treefrog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Hyla gratiosa
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 5.1 to 7 cm (2.01 to 2.76 in)
- Lifespan: 7 to 12.5 years in captivity
The barking tree frog species is native and endemic to southeastern states of the US. Where these frogs are found is largely dependent on the weather.
In humid weather, they are found high up in trees and they can be seen inside the ground near roots and vegetation when the weather is dry. They breed in permanent water bodies like ponds and streams.
They are the biggest species native to the southeastern area. Their bodies are plump and chubby, usually marked with dark round spots. They could come in different shades of gray, brown, or green.
Body coloration could change due to environmental factors. The spots on their bodies change with it, fading to green, yellow, or a green-yellow pallor. They also characteristically have a yellow stripe on each of their sides, large toe pads, and rough skin.
Barking tree frogs are more active during the night, resting up in trees during the day. They have a wide range of vision and the ability to quickly sense motion.
Their calls are loud and sound like a dog barking from a distance. Up close, a single frog’s call sounds like an explosive “donk” or “tonk” and it is repeated every 1 or 2 seconds.
14. Green Tree Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea
- Other Names: American green tree frog
- Adult Size: 3.2 to 6.4 cm (2.6 to 5.2 in)
- Lifespan: up to 6 years in captivity
Frogs of this species are popular as pets. They are commonly found in southeastern states of the US, including Mississippi, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana.
They live in weedy marshes, wet prairies, swamps, and along the edges of ponds, lakes, and streams. They prefer areas of the forest with an open canopy in order to easily find prey.
Green tree frogs are moderately large with a pointed snout and flat head. They are mostly yellow-green in color, but there are some which are reddish-brown or green. Their hind legs are extensively webbed and have two tubercles between the toes.
Most of them have a white or yellow line from their jaw to their thigh on each side of the body. White or yellow dorsal spots are visible on the dorsal skin as well. They possess big toe pads, with long legs and smooth skin.
Their activity is determined by the weather and temperature, as they are most active in high humidity. Individuals communicate with each other using different and distinct calls. There is a mating call, a call to signal when they sense rain, and an alarm call.
By cryptic coloration, green tree frogs are able to hide from predators. They tuck their legs in and close their eyes, and they blend with the vegetation surrounding them.
15. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
- Family: Hylidae
- Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
- Other Names: Southern gray tree frog
- Adult Size: 3.2 to 6 cm (1.26 to 3.26 in)
- Lifespan: 2.5 to 7 years in captivity
Cope’s gray tree frogs are native to North America, commonly found in Ontario, Canada, and states in the USA like Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida.
They can be found around both temporary and permanent water bodies. They live mostly in swamps, fields, grasslands, prairies, forests, and swamps. Rarely seen on the ground, they are usually perched on a tree or shrub.
Male and female frogs of this species look alike, with a white mark underneath each eye. Their bodies are quite rough and warty, although smoother than the bodies of most toads. Their toes have pads, a biological adaptation for climbing.
Dorsal coloration is largely varied and is affected by substrate, humidity, and season. These frogs are most commonly colored gray with black blotches on their backs. There are also individual Cope’s gray treefrogs colored green and brown.
They are nocturnal, showing most activity in the daytime. Their call is a fast and flute-like trill that is high in pitch.
Some larger frog species hunt and feed on Cope’s gray treefrogs because of their fairly small size. They avoid their predators through their nocturnal activity and cryptic adaptation.
16. Southern Leopard Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates sphenocephalus
- Other Names: Rana sphenocephala
- Adult Size: 2 to 13 cm (0.75 to 5.12 in), 8 cm (3.15 in) on average
- Lifespan: less than 1 year in the wild, up to 2 or 3 years after surviving the first year
The southern leopard frog is native to the eastern part of North America. It is a fundamentally aquatic species but individuals are noticed showing much activity on land too.
These frogs are commonly found around forests, temporary water pools, and marshes, but they disperse to moist vegetation in the summer.
Southern leopard frogs are slender with sharply pointed heads. From behind each eye to the hip, there is a conspicuous dorsal fold in a lighter color. The dorsal coloration on the back and sides is usually green or brown, with distinct dark spots.
Their external ears and their eyes are about the same size. Occasionally, a white dot can be noticed in between the eyes of individuals. Like other true frogs, their legs are long. Their toes do not possess toe pads, and so they are not adapted to climbing.
Females are usually bigger than males. This species has two subspecies: Lithobates sphenocephalus sphenocephalus (Florida leopard frog) and Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularius (coastal plains leopard frog).
Southern leopard frogs are nocturnal, hiding during the day in vegetation close to water. Their call does not sound like the snoring of northern leopard frogs; it sounds more like chuckling.
Because frogs of this species are highly aquatic, they escape their predators by entering the water and swimming away. They are called leopard frogs because the pattern and contrast of the spots on their skin resemble that of leopards.
17. Crawfish Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates areolatus
- Other Names: Rana areolatus
- Adult Size: 5.7 to 11.4 cm (2.25 to 4.5 in)
- Lifespan: 7 years or more in the wild
Frogs of this species are called crawfish frogs because they inhabit burrows of crayfish. They can be found in moist meadows, prairies, grassy fields, semi-permanent wetlands, and fishless ponds.
They have large and stocky bodies. A conspicuous lump in their lower back differentiates them from other frogs. They have large heads with spotted upper jaws.
Many irregular dark spots with lighter borders dot the skin on their backs. The skin is usually a dark shade of brown and the snout is cone-shaped. There are two ridges running along the length of their backs, one on each side of the body.
Their ventral side is white and spotless. Males are physically distinct from females in that they have paired vocal pouches and enlarged thumbs, while females do not.
The call of crawfish frogs is like a snore, loud, deep, and resonant. They live underground for most of the year. They used to be more common but populations are now declining, causing some concern in some states.
18. Gopher Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates capito
- Other Names: Rana capito
- Adult Size: 6 to 9 cm (2.36 to 3.54 in)
- Lifespan: 6 years in the wild, up to 7 years in captivity
The gopher frog is a species endemic to the southeastern region of the United States. It is found in the Atlantic coastal plains of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
These frogs are primarily found in hot and dry upland habitats and in woodlands with an open canopy. They are named gopher frogs because they usually seek shelter in the burrows of gopher tortoises and other mammals.
This frog is stubby and robust. Its dorsal skin is heavily spotted in the dark pigment, and it could be rough or smooth. The frog is usually colored brightly in yellow-white, brown, or gray.
The ventrum is white, cream or yellow in color and spotted in darker pigment. They have two lateral ridges running down each side of their backs. Forelimbs are relatively short and snouts are usually pointed.
The gopher frog is a nocturnal frog. Its call sounds like a snore, deep and throaty. To escape predators, individuals are cryptically colored and make use of burrows to hide away and escape when threatened.
Populations of the gopher frog have declined over recent years due to fire suppression and loss of habitat.
19. American Bullfrog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates catesbeianus
- Other Names: Rana catesbeiana, bullfrog, North American bullfrog
- Adult Size: 9 to 15.2 cm (3.5 to 6 in)
- Lifespan: 7 to 9 years in the wild, up to 16 years in captivity
The American bullfrog is native to the eastern region of North America.
The species has been introduced to other places like Europe, Asia, and South America. It is present in US states like Mississippi, Louisiana, California, and Colorado, and in parts of Mexico.
They are largely aquatic, preferring still and shallow bodies of water. Swamps, ponds, marshes, ditches, rivers, and streams with abundant vegetation are common habitats. They can also be found along the banks of streams.
American bullfrogs are the largest species of true frogs known to exist in entire North America. Dorsally, they could be colored in different shades from brown to green, with darker colored blotches on their backs. They have fully webbed hind legs and white bellies.
Male and female frogs of this species can be told apart easily. In males, the external ear is much larger than the eye, while the eye and external ear are relatively the same sizes, or the ear smaller in females.
Also, males have yellow throats while females’ throat is white during mating season.
These frogs are both diurnal and nocturnal, active both during the day and at night. They however prefer warm and humid weather.
Their call has been described as a low and rumbling “jug-o-rum” sound.
They eat terrestrial vertebrates, even frogs of the same species, and endanger some other species of frogs. Humans hunt them for meat but they face no threat of extinction.
Their undesirable taste saves them from predation.
20. Green Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates clamitans
- Other Names: Rana clamitans, bronze frog, brown frog, cow frog
- Adult Size: 5.7 to 12.5 cm (2.3 to 4.92 in)
- Lifespan: up to 10 years in captivity
Green frogs live in Maine, Hawaii, Tennessee, Washington, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, and a lot of other US states. They usually live in ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow-moving freshwater bodies.
A frog of this species typically has two ridges running down its back, one from each eye. These ridges are very pronounced. Its feet are also very webbed.
The dorsal coloration on green frogs varies across a large range. Individuals are found in colors such as dark brown, brown, bronze, olive, green and bluish. Some might even have two colors.
Their backs have small spots of darker pigment scattered on them as well. Ventral coloration could be in different light colors, in any shade from white to yellow.
There is sexual dimorphism between the sexes. Males have tympana much larger than their eyes while females’ tympana and eyes are fairly proportionate in size. Females are larger on average than males.
They are diurnal and nocturnal, active both day and night. Green frogs avoid predation by mimicry. They take advantage of the resemblance that they bear to bad-tasting mink frogs and occur around them sometimes.
21. Pig Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates grylio
- Other Names: Rana grylio, lagoon frog, southern bullfrog
- Adult Size: 8.26 to 13.97 cm (3.25 to 5.5 cm)
- Lifespan: 5 to 20 years
Another species of frog in Mississippi is the pig frog. It is native to the southeast of the USA, occurring in other states like Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida. They are entirely aquatic and rarely seen on land.
They are found in lakes, marshes, ponds, and streams, and particularly in ponds with such vegetation as water lilies, bladderworts, sawgrass, pickerel weed, and maiden cane.
A pig frog bears semblance to a bullfrog. It however has a narrow, pointed head with fully webbed hind legs. It is usually found in shades from olive to black-brown color, with dark spots scattered on its back.
Its belly is white or a yellowish pallor. Each thigh has either a bright line or a row of bright spots running through it. Its eyes are larger than normal and its nostrils prominent.
The backs of pig frogs may also have four lateral lines in bright orange-brown or olive color. Male and female frogs of this species can be told apart by the same standards as green frogs.
These frogs are however shy, and so they are not usually active in the daytime. They are mainly nocturnal, and this serves as a sort of protection from predation.
Pig frogs are hunted by humans as a source of frog legs, to be eaten. The call of this frog species is a low grunting sound, like that of a pig, hence its common name.
22. River Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates heckscheri
- Other Names: Rana hecksheri
- Adult Size: 8.26 to 11.76 cm (3.25 to 4.63 in), record snout-vent length (SVL) of 15.5 cm (6.13 in)
- Lifespan: 2 to 10 years
River frogs can be found in South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, and other states on the coastal plain. They are native to this region.
Unlike their name may suggest, river frogs do not live only in rivers. They can be found around creeks, swamps, marshes, lakes, and ponds. They are highly aquatic and often sit in shallow open water.
Frogs of this species are quite large. Their dorsum is usually in different shades of green, like dark green or greenish black. Their ventral surface could be completely black, but it is usually a medium or dark shade of gray.
Light spots or wavy lines can be noticed on their bellies. On their lower jaw and lips, light spots are present. There are no ridges on their backs.
Their dorsal skin is usually rough and heavily wrinkled, rougher than other ranid (true) frog species. On the groin is a pale outline. Sexes can be differentiated.
Males’ throats are more yellowish than the white throats of females. Also, the eardrums of male frogs are larger than their eyes. In females, the eardrum is either the same size or smaller than the eye.
River frogs are nocturnal and solitary. Their call sounds like a low-pitched rolling snore. Instead of fleeing from predators, they often go limp and play dead.
They also secrete an unpleasant odor to make themselves unattractive to attackers.
23. Pickerel Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates palustris
- Other Names: Rana palustris
- Adult Size: 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in), record SVL of 11.4 cm (4.5 in)
- Lifespan: N/A
The pickerel frog species is native to North America. Individuals like to live in cool streams with trees, swamps, springs, grassy fields, prairies, and weed-covered locations. They love to live near unpolluted water sources.
They have two lines of dorsolateral spots in darker chocolate color, and these spots are shaped like squares. These two lines are in between two folds in their back that extend to their groin area. Their upper jaws also have a light line along them.
The ventral coloration on pickerel frogs is usually white, bright yellow, or yellow-orange. Their bellies may also be mottled. The skin under their groins and hindlegs could be bright yellow to orange.
Males are typically smaller than females. These males characteristically possess short forearms and swollen thumbs. Pickerel frogs are nocturnal. Their call is low and snore-like.
They are medium-sized so larger frogs easily eat them. To protect themselves from predators, they secrete toxic fluids that are poisonous enough to kill small mammals and irritate humans.
24. Dusky Gopher Frog
- Family: Ranidae
- Scientific Name: Lithobates sevosus
- Other Names: Rana sevosa, dark gopher frog, Mississippi gopher frog, St. Tammany gopher frog
- Adult Size: 7.6 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in)
- Lifespan: 6 to 10 years, typically 8 years
The dusky gopher frog has been found across the Coastal Plain in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
This frog species is endemic to the southern part of the United States. It is however only currently found in Mississippi.
Individuals live in sandy highlands, shrub wetlands, temporary pools, and other wetlands. They generally like sandy habitats, living mostly in stump holes and burrows made by gopher tortoises.
Dusky gopher frogs are average-sized frogs. They typically have bumpy bodies with black, brown, or gray dorsal coloration. Dark spots and ridges line their backs.
The call of this frog is loud and guttural, sounding like a snore. When it feels threatened, even when held, it covers its eyes with its forelimbs.
This species is critically endangered. It is currently one of the top 100 most endangered species in the world, with an estimated population of less than 135 in the wild.
25. Greenhouse Frog
- Family: Eleutherodactylidae
- Scientific Name: Eleutherodactylus planirostris
- Other Names: N/A
- Adult Size: 1.2 to 3 cm (0.47 to 1.18 in)
- Lifespan: N/A
The greenhouse frog species is native to the Caribbean Islands, including Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. They have however been introduced to other areas of the Americas and Asia like Hawaii, Florida, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
They are largely terrestrial, found in both residential areas and natural habitats. They also live in open grasslands and along stream banks.
They have granular skin in various colors ranging from brown and reddish-brown to tan and bronze. Their bodies are plump and marked with splotches and stripes. Males are generally smaller than females.
There is a recessive and a dominant pattern phase among greenhouse frogs. The recessive phase consists of dark and light coloration, a dorsal band in the shape of a V, and a band between the eyes.
The dominant phase includes two light stripes running laterally along the back from the eye to the posterior end. A dark triangle marking may be seen on some individuals’ heads.
Greenhouse frogs usually have light gray bellies. Their fingers are small and their toe long and thin. Their feet are not webbed but they have small toe pads.
Greenhouse frogs are nocturnal, active mostly in humid and rainy weather. In dry weather, they usually seek shelter under different natural and man-made objects.
Their call is an insect-like chirp that sounds like tiny sneakers squeaking on a gymnasium floor.
Species of Toads in Mississippi
26. American Toad
- Family: Bufonidae
- Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
- Other Names: Bufo americanus, hop toad
- Adult Size: 5 to 10 cm (1.97 to 4 in), record SVL of 11.1 cm (4.4 in)
- Lifespan: 1 to 10 years in the wild, up to 36 years in captivity
There are three subspecies of the American toad: the eastern American toad, the dwarf American toad, and the Hudson Bay toad.
This toad is found largely in parts of North America. Some of these places include Chihuahua, Mexico; James Bay and Quebec, Canada; and California, Washington, Oregon, and Mississippi USA.
They are very rampant because they adapt to any environment in which there is semi-permanent water for breeding. American toads also require dense vegetation for cover and insects for food.
They have short legs, stout bodies, and thick, warty skin. Warts on the skin could be red or yellow, but the general dorsum is usually colored brown, olive, or gray. Skin color can change because of stress, temperature, or humidity.
American toads have four digits on their forelegs and five on their hind legs, like other anurans. Their hindleg digits are fully webbed. They have several dark spots on their backs. Each spot has one or warts on it.
Male and female American toads show sexual dimorphism. Male toads have dark-colored throats in black or brown. Females have white throats and lighter bodies. They are also bigger than the males.
The toad is nocturnal, showing activity when the weather is warm and humid. It typically hides under rocks, stones, twigs, and other such things in the daytime. Its call is a long and high-pitched “bu-r-r-r-r-r”, usually 6-30 seconds long.
In case of attack or capture by a predator immune to their toxin, the American toad blows up its skin with air to make it hard to slow, or urinates on itself in order to be less appealing to eat.
27. Oak Toad
- Family: Bufonidae
- Scientific Name: Anaxyrus quercicus
- Other Names: Bufo quercicus
- Adult Size: 1.9 to 3.3 cm (0.75 to 1.3 in)
- Lifespan: typically 1.9 years
Oak toads can be found in the southeastern coastal plains of the USA. They usually prefer living near savannas, in moist and grassy areas with sandy soil.
They breed in shallow pools and ditches but like to live in temperate forests and freshwater habitats. They can also be found in ponds, streams, rivers, and marshes.
Toads of this species have been referred to as juvenile or half-grown because of they are small, even as adults. They are the smallest toad species in North America.
They typically have short heads and short flat bodies. The bodies of oak toads can change color due to temperature differences. Their backs are usually brown or black.
They have a single prominent dorsal stripe which can be in various colors such as orange, yellow, cream, or white. Also, they usually have dark blotches (4 to 5 pairs) on their backs, with fine bumps called tubercles giving their backs a rough texture.
The bumps on their skin could be orange, red, or reddish-brown in color. Their bellies do not have blotches but they do have tubercles on their white surface. Males can be told apart from females by the dark color of their throats.
Oak toads are not threatened yet but are expected to be in the near future. Their call has been described as a high-pitched chirp.
They are primarily diurnal but can be found at night taking breeding choruses.
28. Southern Toad
- Family: Bufonidae
- Scientific Name: Anaxyrus terrestris
- Other Names: Bufo terrestris
- Adult Size: 4.1 to 9 cm (1.6 to 3.5 in), record SVL of 11.3 cm (4.4 in)
- Lifespan: at least 10 years
The southern toad is native to southeastern states of the USA. It is found in every state of this region excluding Tennessee.
While it can be found in natural habitats like lakes, streams, and rivers, this toad is also comfortable living in human environments, like parks and yards.
This frog likes to burrow in sandy soil. It is largely terrestrial and moves to lowland water bodies in the breeding season for reproduction purposes.
Southern toads are usually colored brown dorsally but can be found in other colors like red, gray, and black. Sexes can be told apart. Males are smaller than females, and they have darker throats in the breeding period.
They are nocturnal toads, burrowing in the sand during the day and showing activity during the night. Their call is high-pitched and shrill.
It is a musical trill that lasts for about 2-8 seconds, with about 75 trills per second.
29. Fowler’s Toad
- Family: Bufonidae
- Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
- Other Names: Bufo fowleri
- Adult Size: 5.1 to 9.5 cm (2 to 3.75 in)
- Lifespan: typically 5 years
Fowler’s toads are found in the eastern region of the United States, along the Atlantic coastal plain. They like to live in savannas with widely spaced trees and open canopy.
They can be found in grasslands that are conducive to the growth of grasses but not taller trees. They also like to live on beaches. Primarily, they prefer to live in open spaces.
They are usually medium-sized toads. Dorsal coloration is usually tan, gray, brown, or greenish gray. They have dark or black spots on their backs, and each black spot could have three to six warts.
Fowler’s toads characteristically have a white or light mid-dorsal stripe. Bellies are lightly colored with a single gray spot. Typically, the male toads are darker in color and the females lighter.
They are primarily nocturnal but they are also active in the daytime except in extreme heat or cold. Its call sounds like a baby crying or a sheep bleating, and it lasts for 2-5 seconds.
This species is considered to be at risk. This is due to the activities of off-road vehicles, the use of chemicals in agriculture, and predation. Thankfully, this species of toad employs various methods to avoid or ward off predators.
If roughly handled by predators, they pretend to be dead by lying still. When attacked, they secrete poison from warts on their skin, like other species of toads do, to irritate and even poison their predators.
30. Gulf Coast Toad
- Family: Bufonidae
- Scientific Name: Incilius nebulifer
- Other Names: Bufo nebulifer, Coastal Plains toad, Mexican toad, nebulous toad
- Adult Size: 5.3 to 9.8 cm (2.2 to 4.1 in)
- Lifespan: up to 8 years in the wild
Toads of this species are found on the Gulf Coast of Mexico, from Veracruz, Mexico down to Mississippi, USA. They can be found in other US states as well.
They inhabit coastal prairies, pools, ditches, marshes, and swamps. They also occur in suburban and urban areas like towns and barrier beaches. They can be found under concrete slabs, in cracks under sidewalks, in rodent burrows, and in trees.
They are typically large toads, with adult females bigger than males. They have broad heads and low cranial crests. They possess large external ears, uniformly rough dorsal skin, and sharply pointed tubercles.
The ventral surface of this toad possesses unpointed tubercles. The belly is usually a solid cream color. The backs of Gulf Coast toads are usually dark brown in color.
A broad white or yellow stripe runs down the middle of their backs. Their forelegs have short and robust digits that are not webbed. Their hind legs are long with slender and half-webbed toes.
These toads are nocturnal. The call of a Gulf Coast toad is a short, flat, and raspy trill that usually lasts 2-6 seconds in duration.
31. Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
- Family: Microhylidae
- Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
- Other Names: Eastern narrowmouth, eastern narrow-mouthed toad
- Adult Size: 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in)
- Lifespan: up to 6 years in captivity
Eastern Narrow-mouthed toads are small toads found in the entire southeastern portion of North America.
They have been introduced in the Bahamas. They live almost anywhere they can find shelter and cover while foraging, and moisture.
Characteristically, they have a distinct fold of skin running across their heads behind their eyes. This distinguishes them from other frog species. The fold can move to protect the toad’s eyes from insects.
Unlike most true toads, they have very smooth skin resembling a frog’s skin but not as smooth. The external eardrums that are present in most anurans are not present in this species of frogs.
The head of this toad is narrow, sharp, and pointed. As its name suggests, its mouth is small. This is an adaptation to help them burrow into the soil. Males and females can be told apart by pigmentation: males are typically darker in color than females.
They come in various colors, including light tan, brown, red, reddish-brown, gray, and nearly black. The mid-dorsal area usually has brightly colored strips covered in dots and splotches. Its stomach is white in color and heavily spotted.
Eastern narrow-mouthed toads are nocturnal. Their call has been described as an abrasive sound. It resembles a lamb bleating, or sounds like an electric buzzer “beeeeeeeeee”.
They avoid their hunters by their nocturnality. When threatened, they burrow into the soil.
They also produce mucous secretions from their skin that irritate predators.
32. Eastern Spadefoot
- Family: Scaphiopodidae
- Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrooki
- Other Names: Eastern spadefoot toad
- Adult Size: 4.5 to 7.8 cm (1.7 to 3.1 in)
- Lifespan: 5 to 9 years in the wild, 7 to 10 years in captivity
Endemic to North America, this species of toads like sandy soil, moderate temperature, and rainy regions. They live in grasslands, farmlands, swamps, and temporary pools.
Eastern spadefoots are dark in color. The skin on their backs is full of warts. Dorsal coloration is in different shades ranging from olive to black. Their bellies could be in any shade from gray to white.
They have two conspicuous lines running along their backs and tapering together at the posterior end. Their paratoid glands are small and their eyes are large for seeing at night.
Black spade-like protrusions are present
on their hindlegs to aid burrowing. The color and darkness of skin are affected by the environment and not sex.
They like to live alone and are active both in the day and at night, but more active during the day. They sure heightened activity when the weather is humid. Their call is a low-pitched “waaaaa” repeated at short intervals.
To avoid predators, this toad quickly buries itself in the soil which its skin blends with. It burrows into the ground and covers itself with leaves and twigs for protection and insulation.
It also produces a secretion that is foul-tasting and foul-smelling to predators.
FAQs
When do cricket frogs call in Mississippi?
Frogs are generally heard calling in their breeding season, mostly at night and near breeding pools. In Mississippi, southern cricket frogs can be heard calling from February through October.
Northern cricket frogs have a shorter breeding season. Their calls can be heard from June to July.
How many kinds of frogs are in Mississippi?
There are twenty-five (25) kinds of frogs in Mississippi. Each species is listed and described above.
Conclusion
The US state of Mississippi is home to thirty-two (32) anuran species: twenty-five (25) frogs and seven (7) toad species.
Most frogs are good for household pests because they don’t secrete toxins. They are also small, affordable, and easy to take care of. The only harmful frog species in Mississippi are the pickerel frog.
If you’re looking to get a frog as a pet, it is more advisable to go for the ones that are not poisonous. Some frogs’ toxins are not lethal to human beings, but they can cause some harm when ingested or let into the eyes.
Frogs in Mississippi that are not poisonous and make good pets include: gray treefrogs, spring peepers, bullfrogs, green frogs, and northern leopard frogs.
Some of these species are facing the threat of extinction. Destruction of habitat is one of the causes of decline in amphibian populations.
This problem can be added to when we humans are not cautious about the environment of the animals.
It is safer to simply buy toads and frogs in Mississippi from experienced and trusted sources. This will ensure that the dwellings of the anurans are safe, and you have a pet of your choice as well.
Next time you pass a stream, pond, pool, ditch, or other freshwater body and see or hear a frog or toad, the information in this article can hopefully assist you in identifying what species it is.
Nearby states