Common LowCountry Amphibians

Amphibians have no scales and must have fresh water to lay their eggs in, though they can be found away from water while not breeding. Have you found an amphibian? The following key will help to identify the most common amphibians of southeastern South Carolina. Many frogs can change color, so it is best to rely upon other identifying marks - for example, a green tree frog is more often bronze in color than green. If a species does not fit into these categories, please visit the herpetology page of the Savannah River Ecology Lab for further identification help.

1. Is it a frog or a toad? Frogs and toads have short bodies, no tail, and a front pair of legs that are smaller than the back pair. Click here.

2. Is it a salamander or a newt? These animals have a long body, a tail, and four legs of equal size. Click here.

Frogs and Toads

3. Does the animal have dry, rough, and/or bumpy skin? Click here.

4. Does the animal have moist, smooth skin? Click here.

Toads

5. Do the eyes have vertical pupils? Spadefoot Toad

6. Are there knobs behind the eyes and many warts? Southern Toad

7.Does the toad have smooth skin, short legs, and a fold at the back of the head? Narrowmouth Toad

Frogs

8. Is it relatively small, usually with sticky pads on its toes, most often found out of the water? Click here.

9. Is it relatively large, with webbed hind feet, most often found in or near the water? Click here.

Tree Frogs

12. Does it have a triangle between its eyes? This could be a color either lighter or darker than the background color of the frog. Cricket Frog.

13. Is there no triangle between its eyes? Click here.

Tree Frogs

10. Is it round and chubby, with large round spots? Barking tree frog.

11. Does it have a prominent white stripe down its side, usually bordered in a darker color? Green tree frog.

12. Does it have a white dot under its eye and somewhat warty skin for a tree frog? Gray tree frog.

13. Does it have a roughly 'X' shaped marking down its back? Spring peeper.

14. If it does not have any of these traits, click here.

Tricky Tree Frogs

15. Does it have lighter spots along its thigh? Pinewoods tree frog.

16. Does it have a white stripe along its lip? Southern chorus frog.

17. Does it have a dark stripe along its sides? Little grass frog.

18. The only remaining common tree frog in this area is the squirrel tree frog, which resembles a green tree frog but does not usually have a white stripe down its sides. When it does, it is much less prominent and does not have a dark border.

True Frogs

19. Does it have a pair of ridges running down from the eyes along the back? Click here.

20. Does it have no ridges along its back, and is it very large in size? Bullfrog.

Medium-sized True Frogs

21. Do the ridges extend all the way down the back? Leopard Frog

22. Do the ridges extend only three quarters of the way back? Green Frog

Salamanders and Newts

23. Does it only have one pair of legs? Two-Toed Amphiuma

24. Does it have two pairs of legs? Click here

Salamanders and Newts

25. Does it have strong black and white markings? Marbled Salamander

26. Does it have red/orange spots outlined in black? Newt

27. If it does not have these markings, click here.

Salamanders and Newts

28. Is it very small with stripes along its side? Click here.

29. Is it dark in color, usually with paler spots or mottling? Click here.

Small striped salamanders

30. Does it have four toes on its back feet? Dwarf salamander

31. Does it have five toes on its back feet? Two-striped salamander

Dark salamanders

32. Is it very sticky to the touch? Slimy salamander

33. Does it have white spotting along the side and hind legs that are larger than their front legs? Southern dusky salamander

34. Does it have a thick build and a broad head? Mole salamander