Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service: The preceding checklist contains the 25 native amphibian species and 21 native reptile species known in Washington.
This page lists 14 species: 13 from Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service's Checklist of Washington Amphibians and Reptiles and 1 named in other official sources. 3 are nonnative.
Official sources single out these frogs and toads in Washington, in their own words:
Toxic skin secretion, dangerous if eaten, per the Burke Museum. “Are poisonous! They secrete a white toxin that can cause nausea, irregular heart beats and sometimes may cause death if ingested” Burke Museum
Toxic. “Toxins can cause mild skin irritation, but can cause severe symptoms if ingested, including paralysis and/or death” Burke Museum
From A to Z. Do not handle them.
Xenopus laevis
Rana [Lithobates] catesbeiana
Rana [Lithobates] clamitans
Rana cascadae
Habitat: Cascades frogs are found primarily at higher elevations (most above 2000 feet in Washington) with suitable breeding sites. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Ascaphus truei
Range: In Washington, this species occurs in the Willapa Hills, the Black Hills, and the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. Populations in the Blue Mountains were split into a new species – Rocky Mountain tailed frog (Ascaphus montanus).
Habitat: Coastal tailed frogs are primarily found in or associated with relatively cold, clear, rocky steams in mature forests. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Rana luteiventris
Range: In Washington, the Columbia spotted frog occurs east of the Cascade Mountain crest in the East Cascades, Okanogan, Canadian Rocky Mountains, Columbia Basin, and Blue Mountain Ecoregions, and spilling over the Cascade crest to the west slope in the north Cascades near Harts and Rainy Passes. Small, scattered populations occur in the shrubsteppe vegetation zones of the Columbia Basin.
Habitat: This species is relatively aquatic and is rarely found far from water. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Spea intermontana
Range: The Great Basin spadefoot is primarily a species of the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion but the range also extends into the Okanogan Ecoregion. A single report exists of a tadpole found in the Canadian Rockies Ecoregion from Stevens County across the Columbia River from the town of Hudson.
Habitat: Great Basin spadefoots occur primarily in shrubsteppe. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Lithobates [Rana] pipiens
Range: Historical occurrences range from the Columbia Plateau, Okanogan and Canadian Rocky Mountain Ecoregions. Northern leopard frogs were found throughout eastern Washington, and 17 occupied sites were recognized throughout the Columbia, Crab Creek, Pend Oreille, Snake, Spokane, and Walla Walla river drainages.
Habitat: Northern leopard frogs are semi-aquatic, requiring both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Rana aurora
Range: In Washington, northern red-legged frogs occur in the Pacific Coast, Puget Trough, North Cascades, West Cascades and East Cascades ecoregions. East of the Cascade crest, the only records from Kittitas and Yakima Counties are old museum specimen records.
Habitat: Northern red-legged frogs are found in lowland (mostly below 3000 feet in Washington) moist forested habitats with access to suitable breeding sites. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Rana pretiosa
Range: The historical range for Oregon spotted frogs in Washington is the Puget Trough Ecoregion, in Whatcom, Skagit, and Thurston counties, and the southern extent of the Eastern Cascades Ecoregion, in Skamania and Klickitat counties.
Habitat: This species is highly aquatic and rarely found away from water. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Pseudacris regilla
Habitat: Pacific treefrogs are able to utilize a wide variety of habitats and persist even within urban and disturbed areas, where pockets of undeveloped habitat exist. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Ascaphus montanus
Habitat: Rocky Mountain tailed frogs are present year-round in and near perennial streams associated with cold, clear, rocky streams in mature forests. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Anaxyrus boreas
Range: Western toads occur in all nine Washington ecoregions: Northwest Coast, West Cascades, Puget Trough, North Cascades, Columbia Plateau, Okanogan, East Cascades, Canadian Rocky Mountains, and Blue Mountains. Within the Washington portion of the Columbia Plateau, the species’ distribution is limited to the edges of the ecoregion except in the southeast corner of the state.
Habitat: This species occurs in a variety of terrestrial habitats including prairies, forests, canyon grasslands and ponderosa pine-Oregon oak habitat. (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service)
Anaxyrus woodhousii
American Bullfrog Not stated
Green Frog (Bronze Frog) Not stated
Bullfrogs lack the dorsolateral ridges that green frogs have.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
Records of frogs and toads in Washington peak in June to September. They show when people record frogs and toads, not how many there are (about month bars).
Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.
Dangerous wildlife: emergency 911; non-emergency 877-933-9847 or the WDFW online report. Invasive species: Washington Invasive Species Council web form or WA Invasives app; aquatic invasive species hotline 1-888-WDFW-AIS, [email protected]. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
The species list comes from Checklist of Washington Amphibians and Reptiles (Washington State Herp Atlas) (Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, BLM and U.S. Forest Service, 2009, revised 2017; PDF July 2019). 1 more entry comes from other official sources named on each card.
Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.
"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Washington.
Want a paper copy? Print the Washington frogs and toads ID chart.
“The preceding checklist contains the 25 native amphibian species and 21 native reptile species known in Washington.”
“Are poisonous! They secrete a white toxin that can cause nausea, irregular heart beats and sometimes may cause death if ingested”
“Toxins can cause mild skin irritation, but can cause severe symptoms if ingested, including paralysis and/or death”
“For non-emergency dangerous wildlife complaints, call 877-933-9847, or submit an online report.”
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