North Dakota Game and Fish Department: North Dakota has about 28 species of amphibians and reptiles.
This page lists 10 species: all from North Dakota Game and Fish Department's Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota, with the North Dakota Herp Atlas species pages.
All 10 frogs and toads
From A to Z.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Size
2 to 3.5 inches long (NCWRC: up to 4 inches); females are larger than males.
How to recognize it
Dark spots on the back hold only a few large warts; the similar Fowler's toad has three or more. Agencies give different counts for the American toad (TWRA: one or two; Ohio DNR: one, two or three; Georgia DNR: usually no more than one), so wart count alone does not settle it; check the head crests too (see lookalikes).
A large, kidney- or bean-shaped parotoid gland behind each eye that usually does not touch the bony ridge (cranial crest) above the eye, or touches it only by a short spur.
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Size
Adults 1.5 to 2.75 inches snout to vent, occasionally to 3.5 inches; females are larger than males.
How to recognize it
Dark eye mask: SREL calls it the only frog in the Southeast with such a facial pattern
Distinct ridge of skin (dorsolateral fold) down each side of the back to the groin
Call: a rapid, hoarse 'waaaduck' like a quacking duck, repeated three or four times
Where in North Dakota
They are found throughout northern and eastern North Dakota, usually near moist woodlands, and they are very reclusive. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN)
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Where in North Dakota
The Woodhouse’s toad is most abundant in southwestern and southern North Dakota, but may be found statewide in grasslands, wetlands, floodplains and back yards. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
When frogs and toads are active in North Dakota
Records of frogs and toads in North Dakota peak in June to August. They show when people record frogs and toads, not how many there are (about month bars).
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
73 records of frogs and toads in North Dakota by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).
North Dakota Game and Fish Department: 701-328-6300 (general), Report All Poachers 701-328-9921, online observation and ANS report forms (gf.nd.gov/ans/report). Report any amphibian or reptile not in the NDGF guide (including released pets or bullfrogs) to NDGF. Unusual ticks: submit a picture to ND HHS via its tickborne page. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
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