CaliforniaHerps.com

A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California


 
 

Frog and Toad Videos

Search this website
 
 



observation link



This is a list of links to all the short videos of frogs and toads that you can find on the individual frog pages.
The list is in alphabetical order using the Latin names.
Some videos include sound, many do not.

These simple videos are intended to show how a frog or toad moves or to show it in its habitat, but some of them show interesting behavior, and many offer a look and a listen to calling frogs during the breeding season. They have been kept short, and small, and sometimes without sound, to conserve bandwidth use, which was an issue when most of these were made in the late aughts. Most of them were shot quickly at the time and place where the animal was found before it ran or crawled away. In many cases this was at night with poor artificial lighting, and in many cases the animals were uncooperative. Because many herps quickly run away and hide and others only move for a few seconds then remain motionless even when prodded, it is often hard to film herps in motion without capturing and staging them. Consequently, many of these videos use a few short segments to avoid showing only motionless frogs and toads.


Click on the camera icon to watch a video.

Many of these videos are in the Apple Quicktime .mov format which no longer works on all browsers, including the most popular browser Google Chrome. Be aware that Chrome might download the video to your computer for you to play offline. It is recommended that you watch these videos on Apple's Safari Browser or Firefox, which still play the .mov format as of June, 2026.

Click on a link to visit the home page for a frog or toad.



The following links are shortcuts to the families of frogs and toads listed below:

African Clawed Frog - Xenopus
Bullfrogs - Lithobates
Burrowing Treefrog - Smilisca
Cascades Frog - Rana
Chorus Frogs - Pseudacris
Green Frog - Lithobates
Leopard Frogs - Lithobates
Narrow-mouthed Toads - Gastrophryne
Red-legged Frogs - Rana
Sonoran Desert Toad - Ollotis
Spadefoots - Scaphiopus and Spea
Spotted Frogs - Rana
Tailed Frogs - Ascaphus
Toads - Anaxyrus
Treefrogs - Hyla
Treefrogs - Pseudacris
Yellow-legged Frogs - Rana

Tailed Frogs - Ascaphus
Coastal Tailed Frog Ascaphus truei -
Coastal Tailed Frog
Several views of a male Coastal Tailed Frog at a small forested creek in the Oregon Cascade Mountains.
Coastal Tailed Frog Tadpole Ascaphus truei -
Coastal Tailed Frog
A Coastal Tailed Frog tadpole forages on the rocks of a small pool in a small creek in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. You can see its unique sucker-like mouth working from the other side of the glass of a small aquarium.
Toads - Anaxyrus (formerly Bufo)
boreal toad Anaxyrus boreas boreas -
Boreal Toad
A toad gives a release call after he is picked up and gently grasped across the back. (It may sound like this toad is suffering, but it is not being harmed. This is a warning call, the same one he makes when another male toad comes into his territory or climbs onto his back and grabs him tightly with his legs.)
boreal toad Anaxyrus boreas boreas -
Boreal Toad
An adult Boreal Toad hops around a coastal plain in Humboldt County.
Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad This short video shows the life cycle of the California Toad, from the late winter breeding season when frenzied males call and compete and pair up with females who lay long strings of eggs, to tiny black tadpoles just emerged from the eggs then developing and forming huge feeding masses, to the tiny toads, recently-transformed from tadpoles, massing together around the pond edge then dispersing on their own, to an adult toad moving about on its own, as it will remain until the next breeding season.
california toad Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad In late winter just before the breeding season, a huge California toad is found resting underneath a piece of wood near a pond.
california toad Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad A California Toad moves across the wet ground both by crawling and by hopping
california toad Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad A male California Toad calls during daylight from the edge of a rocky creek in Alameda County. The call does not seem to be an agressive or release call, because no other solo male toads were nearby or in contact with him, but there was an amplexing pair swimming back and forth in the water about ten feet away from him.
california toad

california toad

california toad
Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad These videos show some California Toad breeding behavior at the shallow outlet of a pond in Contra Costa County where at least 8 solo males and 10 pairs in amplexus were observed in the area. Not all of them are seen in the videos. Some are heard off camera.
california toad Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad A male toad picked up out of the breeding pond makes the release call, then swims away.
california toad Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Toads in amplexus laying eggs and swimming across a creek in San Joaquin County.
california toad eggs Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad This video shows three groups of toad egg strings, first some single strings in a shallow creek, then two large collections of egg strings on two separate ponds.
california toad tadpoles Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Tadpoles that have just hatched from egg strings but are not yet moving in a rain pool in San Joaquin County.
california toad tadpoles Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Recently-hatched tadpoles lay around where they were hatched in a pond in Contra Costa County. They have not yet begun swimming.
california toad tadpoles Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Thousands of tadpoles swim along the edge of a pond in Contra Costa County.
california toad tadpoles Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Thousands of tadpoles forage in a thick mass at the edge of a pond in Contra Costa County.
california toad tadpoles Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Tadpoles in a creekbed in San Bernardino County.
california toad Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Tiny, recently-transformed toadlets on the shores of two small ponds in Contra Costa County.
california toads Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad Thousands of recently-transformed toadlets, many still have a tail, hop around on the bank of a pond in Contra Costa County. This is the same place I watched adults breed and lay eggs three months earlier, which you can hear and see in the videos on this page.
arroyo toad habitat Anaxyrus californicus -
Arroyo Toad
A male Arroyo Toad calls three times at night from the edge of a creek. The video has been edited - the original calls were about a minute apart.
arroyo toad habitat Anaxyrus californicus -
Arroyo Toad
Two male Arroyo Toads compete for position in a breeding creek in San Diego County, wrestling with each other, then both calling at the same time.
© Andrew Borcher
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
Male Yosemite Toads swim and hop around a meadow surrounded by melting snow.
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
This is a 20 second video of a male toad calling in the afternoon from a snow-melt pool in a high-altitude wet meadow surrounded by snow at 9200 ft. elevation in Fresno County. The air temperature was 37 degrees, but the shallow water was over 60 degrees F. due to the sun. Pacific Treefrogs and water sounds are heard in the background.
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
An adult male Yosemite Toad calling from a piece of buried tree root in a wet meadow in Alpine County.
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
An adult male Yosemite Toad calling from a piece of buried tree root in a wet meadow in Alpine County.
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
A female toad hops around with a male on her back (called amplexus). You can hear the female making the release call begging for the male to release her.
© Julie Nelson
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
A male Yosemite Toad calling to attract a mate.
© Julie Nelson
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
Juvenile and adult male Yosemite Toads around a high-elevation lake.
Yosemite Toad tadpoles Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
Tiny recently-hatched tadpoles swim in shallow puddles in a high mountain meadow in Alpine County
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
A juvenile toad in Alpine County.
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
Adult toads in amplexus hopping around a breeding pond in Tulumne County. You can hear the female making a faint release call.
© Paul Maier
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
Male, Fresno County, in calling position, partly-submerged in a snow-melt meadow pool.
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
Male in breeding pond,
Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus -
Yosemite Toad
A montane breeding meadow in Mariposa County, with the trills of a breeding chorus of Yosemite Toads in the background.
© Paul Maier
Great Plains Toad Anaxyrus cognatus -
Great Plains Toad
Two male toads call at night from shallow pools at the edge of an irrigated agricultural field in Riverside County. Other calling toads can be heard in the background.
Western Chihuahuan Green Toad Anaxyrus debilis insidior-
Western Chihuahuan Green Toad
Male Green Toads call at night from a shallow pool.
Black Toad Anaxyrus exsul -
Black Toad
Black Toads crawling around in the water at night. It doesn't get more exciting than that...
Black Toad Anaxyrus exsul -
Black Toad
A Black Toad lunges with its sticky tongue extended, trying to catch something to eat.
Black Toads Anaxyrus exsul -
Black Toad
A solo male approaches a male in amplexus who gives an encounter call.
Black Toads Anaxyrus exsul -
Black Toad
This video shows some of the sounds and activities of Black Toads on the breeding grounds.
Black toads Anaxyrus exsul -
Black Toad
A group of male toads thrash around in the water trying to wrestle away a female away from another male.
Black toads Anaxyrus exsul -
Black Toad
Non-stop ultimate toad-fighting action with a gang of toads trying to steal away females from other males, chasing them around the pond.
Black toads Anaxyrus exsul -
Black Toad
A Black Toad eats some ants with its big pink tongue.
© Kyla Garten
Canadian Toad video Anaxyrus hemiophrys -
Canadian Toad
A few Canadian Toads calling from a marsh on a late May afternoon in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Boreal Chorus Frogs, Northern Leopard Frogs, and Red-winged Blackbirds are among the sounds in the background.
Canadian Toad video Anaxyrus hemiophrys -
Canadian Toad
A breeding adult male Canadian Toad making release calls.
Arizona Toads Anaxyrus microscaphus -
Arizona Toad
Several male Arizona Toads calling and interacting at night at the edge of a small creek next to a river in Washington County, Utah, including two examples of a male attempting amplexus with another male who then makes release calls. Canyon Treefrogs can be heard in the background.
Arizona Toad Anaxyrus microscaphus -
Arizona Toad
Several Arizona Toads seen hanging around the edge of a small creek at night in Washington County, Utah.
Arizona Toad Anaxyrus microscaphus -
Arizona Toad
A short example of a male calling at night.
Arizona Toad

Anaxyrus microscaphus -
Arizona Toad

A male gives a release call when he is picked up.
Arizona Toad Anaxyrus microscaphus -
Arizona Toad
Tiny recently-metamorphosed toadlets hop and swim around a breeding creek full of tadpoles of several species of frogs and toads.
Sonoran Green Toad Anaxyrus monfontanus -
Hot Creek Toad
This is a short video with sound showing several toads at Hot Creek, Nye County, Nevada swimming in shallow water at night, jumping on each others backs, with the toad on the bottom making release calls.
Amargosa Toad Anaxyrus nelsoni -
Amargosa Toad
A bunch of Amargosa Toads sit, hop, crawl, and swim around a small creek on a May night in Nye County, Nevada.
Amargosa Toad tadpoles Anaxyrus nelsoni -
Amargosa Toad
Amargosa Toad tadpoles in Nye County Nevada.
Amargosa Toad Anaxyrus nelsoni -
Amargosa Toad
A toad giving a release call when picked up.
Red-spotted Toad Anaxyrus punctatus -
Red-spotted Toad
A male Red-spotted Toad calls at night in San Diego County. California Treefrogs are calling in the background.
Red-spotted Toad Anaxyrus punctatus -
Red-spotted Toad
One call of a Red-spotted toad at night in San Diego County.
Red-spotted Toad Anaxyrus punctatus -
Red-spotted Toad
Several calling male Red-spotted toads at night in a desert creekbed in Yavapai County, Arizona, refuse to call while the camera lights are on them.
Red-spotted Toad tadpoles Anaxyrus punctatus -
Red-spotted Toad
Red-spotted Toad tadpoles in a small desert pond.
Red-spotted Toad tadpole Anaxyrus punctatus -
Red-spotted Toad
Tiny toadlets still transforming from tadpoles crawl around on a mat of algae in a desert pond in San Diego County.
Sonoran Green Toad Anaxyrus retiformis -
Sonoran Green Toad
A male Sonoran Green Toad calls at night from dry ground about three feet above a flooded ditch.
Sonoran Green Toad Anaxyrus retiformis -
Sonoran Green Toad
A male Sonoran Green Toad stops calling and leaps after a flying insect attracted to my video lights. Catching it with his tongue, he backs up and swallows it.
Rocky mountain toad Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad Rocky Mountain Toads calling at night on a pond in Franklin County, Washington.
Rocky Mountain Toad Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad A short example of a male giving one advertisement call at night on a pond in Franklin County, Washington.
Rocky mountain toad Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad More Rocky Mountain Toads calling at night on a pond in Franklin County, Washington.
Rocky mountain toad Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad A Rocky Mountain Toad on his way to a breeding pond at sunset in Franklin County, Washington, gives a release call when he is picked up.
Rocky Mountain Toad Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad Two calling males are pulled from a breeding pond in Riverside County and give weak release calls.
Rocky mountain toad Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad 360 degrees of toad sitting on a road at night. It wouldn't move, so the camera had to.
Narrow-mouthed Toads - Gastrophryne
Great Plains Narrow-mouthed Toad Gastrophryne mazatlanensis - Sinaloan Narrow-mouthed Toad A juvenile Sinaloan Narrow-mouthed Toad hops around a small creekbed in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Treefrogs - Hyla
Canyon Treefrog Hyla arenicolor -
Canyon Treefrog
Several male Canyon Treefrogs call at night from the edge of a rocky creek in Arizona.
At the end are several examples of a two-part high-pitched encounter call.
Canyon Treefrog Hyla arenicolor -
Canyon Treefrog
A large adult Canyon Treefrog crawls across the face of a large rock and settles in to rest, using its color and pattern to disappear into the rock. Another hops into a creek to escape from danger.
Canyon Treefrog Hyla arenicolor -
Canyon Treefrog
Canyon Treefrogs in their habitat in Washington County, Utah.
Arizona Treefrog Hyla wrightorum -
Arizona Treefrog
Views of eleven adult male Arizona Treefrogs calling at night from a rain pool in Coconino County, Arizona, with a deafening chorus in the background.
Arizona Treefrog Hyla wrightorum -
Arizona Treefrog
Views of three calling males, bothered by other frogs, making a raspy, ratcheting encounter or territorial call.
Arizona Treefrog Hyla wrightorum -
Arizona Treefrog
A calling male is swarmed by a bunch of other frogs (presumably males) who begin attempting to amplex each other, resulting in encounter and release calls. It could be that a female had entered the territory and that attracted them. If so, she managed to escape without being grabbed one of the males.
Arizona Treefrog Hyla wrightorum -
Arizona Treefrog
Several views of males and females in amplexus, with examples of other frogs approaching them and jumping over and around them (reminding me of the old children's game of Leap Frog.)
Arizona Treefrog Hyla wrightorum -
Arizona Treefrog
Some views of many clusters of eggs and the breeding pool in the afternoon.
Arizona Treefrog Hyla wrightorum -
Arizona Treefrog
Male frogs compete in the breeding pool at night, swimming and jumping all over each other in a frenzy.
Bullfrogs - Lithobates
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
A big male bullfrog calls from the edge of a lake in the daytime. He sat making single calls every few minutes, until suddenly lots of other bullfrogs began calling all around him and then he made longer series of calls. Here we see him start with a full series of calls, then wait a bit before making a second series of calls, but this time starting with some longer notes before doing his typical calls. There was a second male about 10 feet from him who was silent, but after this male makes his second full series of calls, the second male begins calling at 1 minute 10 seconds into the video. We can't see him, but he is about as loud as the first frog. You hear him  when you can see that the first frog is silent. The second male's calling disturbed this frog so much, he made a short, sharp, territorial call and leaped in the air in the direction of the second frog. He landed closer to the second frog, but the second frog hadn't moved.

American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
This is a very short version of the first series of calls heard in the long video above.
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
This is also from the long video above - the short, sharp, territorial call made just before the frog leaps toward the other male.
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
Views of several bullfrogs in ponds and creeks.
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
A large male Bullfrog calls at night from a lake.
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
A bullfrog sitting on the edge of a small pond tries to grab an insect with its tongue and fails, but succeeds on the second try, then jumps into the water to finish it off.
American Bullfrogs Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
Bullfrogs sitting around a crowded pond interact with each other, making chirping sounds and other noises.
American Bullfrogs Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
Hundreds of bullfrogs make their frightened chirping sounds as they jump in and out of the water, or run across the surface to escape from danger.
American Bullfrog tadpoles Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
Although they are quick to swim to the bottom when first approached, American Bullfrog tadpoles will usually calm down and resuface, where they slowly swim, float, and socialize.
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
Mature American Bullfrog tadpoles eating dead carp in a pond in Washington County, Oregon.
© Chris Rombough
American Bullfrog Tadpoles Lithobates catesbeianus -
American Bullfrog
Mature 4-legged tadpoles at a small pond in Oregon.
Leopard Frogs - Lithobates
Rio Grande Leopard Frog Lithobates berlandieri -
Rio Grande Leopard Frog
A male Rio Grande Leopard Frog calls at night from the edge of an agricultural canal in Imperial County, using his throat sack as well as pouches on the side of the neck to produce a variety of sounds. Another leopard frog joins in and they are both accompanied by an American Bullfrog.
Rio Grande Leopard Frog Lithobates berlandieri -
Rio Grande Leopard Frog
A male Rio Grande Leopard Frog calls at night in Imperial County, accompanied by insects.
Rio Grande Leopard Frog Lithobates berlandieri -
Rio Grande Leopard Frog
A male Rio Grande Leopard Frog calls at night from the edge of an agricultural canal in Imperial County, using his repertoire of grunts and chuckles, then he is accompanied by another leopard frog and several American Bullfrogs.
  On a sunny August day in Santa Cruz County Arizona, I watched a bunch of Chiricahua Leopard Frogs go about their business around a nearly evaporated cattle pond. The next day a huge thunderstorm hammered the area, filling the ponds back up, but I was lucky to film the frogs when their foraging grounds were limited. After initially fleeing from me, they eventually tolerated my presence and crept back onto the shore, sometimes only several feet from where I was standing, and began feeding. Below are five short videos of these frogs in and around the pond. I estimated there were almost 60 frogs.
Chiriacahua Leopard Frog Lithobates chiricahuensis -
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
After first fleeing me by jumping into the water, the frogs gradually hopped out of the pond and sat and waited to try to catch some of the many flying insects and invertebrates that landed on the mud around the pond.
Chiriacahua Leopard Frog Lithobates chiricahuensis -
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
As the temperature increased, the frogs began to assemble into groups, including some large piles of over a dozen. I could not figure out the reason for this behavior, but it appeared to be some kind of social interaction, since they were not feeding.
Chiriacahua Leopard Frog Lithobates chiricahuensis -
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
The frogs mostly sat and waited for food, but occasionally they crawled or hopped quickly to catch an insect. They jump so quickly to catch their food, that it is almost not visible in real time. This video shows a number of frogs feeding in real time, then repeated at the end in slow motion where you can see their huge mouths and tongues in action.
Chiriacahua Leopard Frog Lithobates chiricahuensis -
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
Not every feeding attempt was successful. In the first segment you see a frog leap after a worm, then spit it out along with some apparently distasteful red ants. The frog had to use its front feet to pull the ants off of its tongue. The ants continued on afterwards a little shaken, but apparently unharmed.
The next segment shows a large flying insect crawling on the shore, with several frogs leaping one by one towards it only to decide it was not edible.
Chiriacahua Leopard Frog Lithobates chiricahuensis -
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
A Chiricahua Leopard Frogs sheds its old skin, using all four legs to pull the skin and push it towards its mouth which is opened and closed to help pull the skin off. Here you can see the skin pulled from the front toes and rear legs. This one minute video was cut down from about four minutes, but the shedding went on for much longer.
     
Chiriacahua Leopard Frog Lithobates chiricahuensis -
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
Views of a different group of Leopard frogs from those above at a different pond covered with red vegetation, as they hop around, bask, feed, and shed.
northern leopard frog calling Lithobates pipiens -
Northern Leopard Frog
An adult male calls during daylight from a marsh in Manitoba, Canada in May. Other Northern Leopard Frogs, Boreal Chorus Frogs, and Canadian Toads are heard in the background along with several birds.
Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens -
Northern Leopard Frog
Two videos of a Northern Leopard Frog calling on a sunny April afternoon in Grant County, Washington. Redwinged and yellow-headed blackbirds and other birds are heard in the background. Calling was sporadic over a long period of time, so these calls have been assembled from longer videos.
Northern Leopard Frog
Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens -
Northern Leopard Frog
A pond with a few of the last remaining Northern Leopard Frogs in Grant County, Washington.
Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens -
Northern Leopard Frog
A Northern Leopard Frog on the rocky shore of a river in Washington County, Utah.
northern leopard frog calling Lithobates pipiens -
Northern Leopard Frog
Several egg masses at the edge of a marsh in Manitoba Canada in May.
Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates sphenocephala -
Southern Leopard Frog
Southern Leopard Frogs in Virginia.
Lowland Leopard Frog Lithobates yavapaiensis -
Lowland Leopard Frog
Leopard frogs around a cattle pond in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Lowland Leopard Frog Lithobates yavapaiensis -
Lowland Leopard Frog
Juvenile leopard frogs hop around a small desert creek in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Lowland Leopard Frog Lithobates yavapaiensis -
Lowland Leopard Frog
A Lowland Leopard frog calls at night from a small pond in Pima County, Arizona.
Green Frog - Lithobates
Green Frog Calling Lithobates clamitans -
Green Frog
A Green Frog calls from a hidden location in a marsh at night in July in Fairfax County, Virginia. Other Green Frogs and some very loud Green Treefrogs are calling in the background.
Sonoran Desert Toad - Incilius
sonoran desert toad Incilius alvarius -
Sonoran Desert Toad
Several Sonoran Desert Toads out at night in Arizona, hopping and running quickly across desert roads.
sonoran desert toad Incilius alvarius -
Sonoran Desert Toad
Sonoran Desert Toads in a rain pool at night in Arizona, including an interaction between two toads where one makes a release call. Lowland Burrowing Treefrogs and Couch's Spadefoots are calling loudly in the background, which might be why these weak-voiced toads were not calling, only waiting around on the banks and in the water for females to come.
Treefrogs (Chorus Frogs) - Pseudacris
California Treefrog Pseudacris cadaverina -
California Treefrog
A male treefrog calling on a windy night from the edge of a small pond in San Diego County. He makes three distinct sounds - a low call, then several higher-pitched calls followed by some ratcheting notes, ending with another high-pitched call.
California Treefrog Pseudacris cadaverina -
California Treefrog
At night at a small pond in San Diego County, after I make an imitation of his call, a male frog repeatedly makes what appears to be his encounter call while aggressively moving towards the camera until he finally hops away. A Red-spotted Toad and other CA Treefrogs are heard in the background.
California Treefrog Pseudacris cadaverina -
California Treefrog
A male treefrog calls from the edge of a small pond.
California Treefrog Tadpoles Pseudacris cadaverina -
California Treefrog
California Treefrog tadpoles in a shallow sunny pool in a slow-moving creek flowing through a San Diego County desert canyon.
Baja California Treefrog Pseudacris hypochondriaca hypochondriaca -
Baja California Treefrog
A male Baja California Treefrog calls at night as part of a chorus of frogs in Kern County. He starts with the two-parted call, then speeds up a bit slurring the two parts together into what is almost a one-part call which he then alternates with the two-parted call.
Baja California Treefrog Pseudacris hypochondriaca hypochondriaca -
Baja California Treefrog
 A Baja California Treefrog in a small mountain stream.
Baja California Treefrog eggs Pseudacris hypochondriaca hypochondriaca -
Baja California Treefrog
Baja California Treefrog eggs at the edge of a creek in March.
Baja California Treefrog tadpole Pseudacris hypochondriaca hypochondriaca -
Baja California Treefrog
Baja California Treefrog tadpoles in an aquarium a month after hatching.
Baja California Treefrog tadpoles Pseudacris hypochondriaca hypochondriaca -
Baja California Treefrog
Baja California Treefrog tadpoles in a pool at the edge of a creek in June. 
Northern Pacific Treefrog Pseudacris regilla -
Northern Pacific Treefrog
A male treefrog calls while floating on a pond in the Cascades Mountains of Washington on a sunny Summer day. This is the two-part advertisement call.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris regilla -
Northern Pacific Treefrog
A man makes frog sounds to elicit responses from a treefrog.
Northern Pacific Treefrog Habitat Pseudacris regilla -
Northern Pacific Treefrog
In this short video you can hear some land calls and see a couple of loations in Washington where the land calls are being made. (And you get an idea of how hard it is to find a land-calling frog in such dense vegetation.)
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
Three adult male Sierran Treefrogs make their advertisement call one afternoon in early March in Contra Costa County.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
Three adult male Sierran Treefrogs make their encounter call. These calls were elicited by making a raspy noise near the frogs as they were sitting on the water in calling position. The call of each frog is slightly different.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
A male Sierran Treefrog makes a few advertisement calls, until a second frog between him and the camera, makes a raspy trilled encounter call. The first frog responds with his encounter call, but when the second frog continues, he then turns to face his aggressor and charges toward him, continuing to make his encounter call. The second frog changes his call to a faster one part call. Finally they both stop, and the first frog sucks in his throat sac and dives underwater.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
An adult male Sierran Treefrog makes a one-part call while floating on the water on a sunny afternoon in Contra Costa County.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
The camera zooms out from a calling Sierran Treefrog to show an overview of his habitat in Contra Costa County.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
A male treefrog makes the one-part or enhanced call from the edge of a small temporary snow-melt pond at 8,600 feet elevation in Alpine County.
Sierran Treefrog Tadpole Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
Sierran Treefrog tadpoles feed in a pond and a puddle in a creekbed on a sunny spring afternoon in Contra Costa County.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
Thousands of recently-metamorphed Sierran treefrogs surround a tiny pond in the mountains of Siskiyou County.
Sierran Treefrog Pseudacris sierra -
Sierran Treefrog
Recently-transformed Sierran treefrogs around the shores of their birth ponds.
Chorus Frogs - Pseudacris
Boreal Chorus Frog Video Pseudacris maculata -
Boreal Chorus Frog
A Boreal Chorus Frog calls from a marsh in Manitoba, Canada. He starts solo, then begins to call in sync with a second male. The snoring calls of Northern Leopard Frogs are heard in the background.
Boreal Chorus Frog Video Pseudacris maculata -
Boreal Chorus Frog
A tiny Boreal Chorus Frog found under a rock near a pond in a forest clearing in the mountains of Coconino County, Arizona.
Red-legged Frog - Rana
Northern Red-legged Frog Rana aurora -
Northern Red-legged Frog
A Northern Red-legged Frog on a late summer day.
Northern Red-legged Frog Habitat Rana aurora -
Northern Red-legged Frog
Northern Red-legged Frog breeding habitat with eggs in Washington.
Northern Red-legged Frog Habitat Rana aurora -
Northern Red-legged Frog
More Northern Red-legged Frog breeding habitat with eggs in Washington.
California Red-legged Frog
Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
A large adult California Red-legged Frog sits still at the edge of a pond under some vegetation until a grasshopper lands nearby when it explodes into action, grabbing the insect on the underside of its long sticky pink tongue.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
The same frog seen above eating grasshoppers, but this time in slow motion so you can see the big pink tongue in action.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
Red-legged frogs around a couple of small ponds in July.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
Red-legged frogs around a small pond in August.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
Two male California Red-legged Frogs are seen here in a Contra Costa County pond in March in amplexus with California Toads (possibly female.) Male toads attempt to wrestle the frogs off their prospective mates. When they grab the frogs, the frogs give their low chuckling release call, while the toads make their peeping release call. The video also starts and ends with the frog release calls.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
More shots of male California Red-legged frogs in amplexus with California Toads.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
Lots of recently-metamorphosed California Red-legged Frogs jumping from the shore into a small drying-up Contra Costa County pond in early September.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
A bunch of juvenile California Red-legged Frogs sit around in a Contra Costa County pond on a sunny summer afternoon.
California Red-legged Frog Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
Adult frogs sitting around in ponds in Contra Costa and Marin Counties.
California Red-legged Frog Eggs Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
A brief look at two masses of fresh red-legged frog eggs in a small pond.
California Red-legged Frog Tadpoles Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
Quick looks at a few large California red-legged frog tadpoles in a couple of small ponds. It's hard to get good pictures of these tadpoles because I'm not allowed to catch them. The one shown clearly was actually injured and dying floating at the edge of a pond, so I was able to get it in focus, at least.
California Red-legged Frog Habitat Rana draytonii -
California Red-legged Frog
This video shows breeding habitat on a sunny day in late January with several male frogs calling along with some birds singing. You'll probably have to turn the volume all the way up to hear the frogs, but you won't see them. I've tried to photograph frogs calling but without any luck. It appears that at this location they call from locations hidden within the reeds, so this is the best I'll ever do here.
Yellow-legged Frog - Rana
foothill yellow-legged frog video Rana boylii -
Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
A Foothill Yellow-legged frog calls at the edge of a small pool in a river with just its head out of the water, producing a call that can be heard in the air and underwater. The sounds heard here were recorded with an underwater microphone placed about 3 feet behind the frog.
foothill yellow-legged frog video Rana boylii -
Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
Scenes from a Foothill Yellow-legged Frog breeding site along a river in Oregon, including calls made in the air and underwater. (The underwater calls were not recorded along with the video, they were added later, however, the frogs depicted underwater are calling male frogs.)
foothill yellow-legged frog video Rana boylii -
Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
Foothill Yellow-legged frogs trying to hide by blending in with the rocks on the bottoms of several creeks in California and southern Oregon.
rana boylii tadpole Rana boylii -
Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
Tadpoles feeding in a rocky creek in Douglas County, Oregon.
Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog

Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog

Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frog
Rana muscosa -
Southern Mountain
Yellow-legged Frog

Some of the few last remaining juvenile and adult Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs hang on in a small creek on a sunny summer day in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog

Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog

Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog

Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog
Rana sierrae -
Sierra Nevada
Yellow-legged Frog
These are five videos of three different male frogs calling during an early summer afternoon in Alpine County. Running water, birds, insects, and an occasional Pacific Treefrog are heard in the background.
Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Rana sierrae -
Sierra Nevada
Yellow-legged Frog
Several pairs of male and female frogs in amplexus are seen in this video with attempts by other males to steal the females. They are successfully fought off by the amplexing males, usually by a strong kick, but sometimes a long wrestling match ensues.
Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Rana sierrae -
Sierra Nevada
Yellow-legged Frog
Several groups of male frogs are seen during the breeding season chasing and amplexing each other. You can hear release calls in the first few scenes. This behavior continued for hours, so it did not appear that they were mistaking each other for females they could breed with, but that it was some kind of territorial behavior between males. Or they could have been practicing their pouncing skills for when they encountered females in the future. (This is a long video which might take some time to download.)
Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Rana sierrae -
Sierra Nevada
Yellow-legged Frog
Two males are seen during the breeding season chasing and amplexing each other until one leaves and the other begins calling.
Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Rana sierrae -
Sierra Nevada
Yellow-legged Frog
This is a long (2 minute) version of a frog calling in the afternoon Alpine County.
Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Tadpole Rana sierrae -
Sierra Nevada
Yellow-legged Frog
Large mature tadpoles swim at the shallow edge of a small lake in Alpine County.
Cascades Frog - Rana  
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
Cascades frogs along a creek and in ponds in Siskiyou County.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
Lots of Cascades frogs filmed as they were encountered one summer morning along a creek in the mountains of Siskiyou County.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
Views of several Cascades frogs in their habitat, a creek in the mountains of Siskiyou County.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
A look at a Cascades Frog breeding pond high in the Cascades, including the pond surrounded by melting snow, male frogs in calling position, two calling males, and two episodes of male frogs attempting to mount other males with sounds of protest.
Cascades Frog Tadpoles Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
Cascades frog tadpoles in a still pool 6,400 ft. up in the mountains in Siskiyou County
Cascades Frog Eggs Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
Views of some of the many egg masses in a breeding pond in the Washington Cascades Mountains.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
Several adult male frogs make calling sounds in the Washington Cascade Mountains.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
An adult male frog floats on the breeding pond, trading calls with two other frogs heard in the background.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
The bottom frog of a pair of adults in amplexus (probably a female) makes a few release calls as it tries to shake off the male on its back.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
Male frogs chase each other around in the breeding pond, chattering and clucking.
Cascades Frog Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
A male frog discovers another frog (probably a female that has already laid eggs) grabs on to her, and is carried around the pond as she tries to shake him off.
Cascades Frog eggs Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
This was recorded under the water of a small snow-melt pond at about 7,145 ft. elevation (2178 m) in July in Siskiyou County.
© Risa Okuyama.
We hear the underwater calls of a male Cascades Frog and see a male in amplexus with a female as she lays her eggs. You can see her small dark eggs coming out before they expand from exposure to the water into a large egg mass like the one we see in front of her. Then another male swims onto the amplexing male's back and tries to knock him off the female, but he holds on.
Cascades Frog eggs Rana cascadae -
Cascades Frog
This was recorded under the water of a small snow-melt pond at about 7,145 ft. elevation (2178 m) in July in Siskiyou County.
© Risa Okuyama.
We see a male Cascades Frog in amplexus with a presumed female, his arms stretched under her armpits and wrapped tightly around her chest as they float at the surface of the pond above a large egg mass.
Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris -
Columbia Spotted Frog
Views of Columbia Spotted Frogs during the breeding season, including lots of breeding males sitting in the pond, huge egg masses, and a quick look at the breeding habitat. No sound.
Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris -
Columbia Spotted Frog
Male Columbia Spotted Frogs in a breeding pond in call underwater and chase each other around an amplexing pair.
Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris -
Columbia Spotted Frog
Several male Columbia Spotted Frogs in a breeding pond call in the air while floating on the water, followed by a male diving, calling underwater, then surfacing.
Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris -
Columbia Spotted Frog
A male Columbia Spotted Frog in a breeding pond calls in the air. When he is joined by three other frogs, he calls underwater, chases one and grabs on. We hear release calls made underwater, then he lets go and surfaces.
Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris -
Columbia Spotted Frog
A male Columbia Spotted Frog in a breeding pond calls in the air while floating on the water, then dives and calls underwater.
Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris -
Columbia Spotted Frog
A male Columbia Spotted Frog in a breeding pond calls above and below the water as he chases another frog.
Oregon Spotted Frog Rana pretiosa -
Oregon Spotted Frog
An Oregon Spotted frog sitting in a canal in southern Washington in late August.
Burrowing Treefrogs - Smilisca
Lowland Burrowing Treefrog Smilisca (Pternohyla) fodiens - Lowland Burrowing Treefrog Two males call at night while sitting on wet grass at the edge of a shallow rain pool in Pima County, Arizona.
Lowland Burrowing Treefrog Smilisca (Pternohyla) fodiens - Lowland Burrowing Treefrog Males at night, calling and waiting from dry land next to a breeding pool in Pima County, Arizona. Couch's Spadefoots can be heard calling in the background.
Lowland Burrowing Treefrog Smilisca (Pternohyla) fodiens - Lowland Burrowing Treefrog Sitting at night in the Arizona desert next to a breeding pond where other Lowland Burrowing Treefrogs and Couch's Spadefoots are calling, a frog repeatedly snaps up bugs with its big pink tongue, which you can seen when the action is slowed down a few times.
Spadefoots - Scaphiopus and Spea
Scaphiopus couchii Couch's Spadefoot Calling Male Video Scaphiopus couchii -
Couch's Spadefoot
Male spadefoots call at night from a temporary rain pool.
Scaphiopus couchii Couch's Spadefoot Amplexus Video Scaphiopus couchii -
Couch's Spadefoot
Male and female spadefoots in amplexus in a temporary rain pool.
Scaphiopus couchii Couch's Spadefoot Amplexus Video Scaphiopus couchii -
Couch's Spadefoot
A group of adult males at night in a breeding pond in Arizona swim around harassing each other. Other male Couch's Spadefoots are calling in the background along with some Lowland Burrowing Treefrogs.
Western Spadefoot Spea hammondii -
Western Spadefoot
A tiny juvenile spadefoot, which probably transformed about 2 - 3 months earlier, is found crossing a road at night in San Joaquin County. Disturbed by our lights, it started digging into the ground in typical spadefoot fashion - using the hind legs to dig and slowly sinking down backwards to hide. But it could not dig deep enough due to the hard ground, so it hopped away into the dry grass.
Western Spadefoot Tadpole Spea hammondii -
Western Spadefoot
Western Spadefoot tadpoles swim and feed in a murky rain puddle in Alameda County. The have to eat as much as possible so they will grow large enough to transform into terrestrial spadefoots before the puddle completely dries up.
Western Spadefoot Spea hammondii -
Western Spadefoot
A male and a female spadefoot in amplexus underwater in a breeding area of a rocky creek bed in San Joaquin County. You can also see some eggs by the pair and floating nearby. (The first shot is of the female after the male left her.)
Western Spadefoot tadpole Spea hammondii -
Western Spadefoot
Tadpoles in muddy rain puddles in Riverside County in early April.
Western Spadefoot Spea hammondii -
Western Spadefoot
An adult male calls at night in a shallow creek in San Diego County.
© Andrew Borcher
Great Basin Spadefoot Spea intermontana -
Great Basin Spadefoot
One night while searching for spadefoot choruses to record, we discovered a spadefoot  crossing a gravel road. After we picked it up and moved it to the sand for photographs, it began to slowly bury itself. It took about 5 minutes to completely bury itself, but that has been cut down to about a minute here.
Great Basin Spadefoot

Great Basin Spadefoot
Spea intermontana -
Great Basin Spadefoot
Male spadefoots call at night from a shallow stagnant pool in central Washington.
Great Basin Spadefoot Spea intermontana -
Great Basin Spadefoot
A Great Basin Spadefoot digs into sandy soil and buries itself.
© Julie Nelson
Chihuahuan Desert Spadefoot Spea multiplicata -
New Mexico Spadefoot
A spadefoot calls at night while floating on top of a flooded pool in a wash in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. When another male comes close he makes a different snoring sound and swims around. Other spadefoots and Western Green Toads are heard in the background.
Chihuahuan Desert Spadefoot Spea bombifrons or
Spea multiplicata
Spadefoot tadpoles in a rain pool in Cochise County, Arizona metamorphose into tiny tailed spadefoots and move onto land as the pool quickly drys up. (Shown over a period of about one week.)
Chihuahuan Desert Spadefoot Spea bombifrons or
Spea multiplicata
A tiny recently-metamorphosed spadefoot which has not yet absorbed its tail hops around next to its dessicating breeding pool with a predator attached to its tail (probably a water scavenger beetle larva.) Cochise County, Arizona.

These were tentatively identified as Spea bombifrons, but there is a chance they could also be Spea multiplicata (stagnalis.)
Chihuahuan Desert Spadefoot Spea bombifrons or
Spea multiplicata
Spadefoot tadpoles swim around in a small aquarium. Cochise County, Arizona.

These were tentatively identified as Spea bombifrons, but there is a chance they could also be Spea multiplicata (stagnalis.)
African Clawed Frog - Xenopus laevis
African Clawed Frog Tadpole Xenopus laevis -
African Clawed Frog
A tadpole swimming underwater.

















Home Site Map About Us Identification Lists Maps Photos More Lists CA Snakes CA Lizards CA Turtles CA Salamanders CA Frogs
Contact Us Usage Resources Rattlesnakes Sounds Videos FieldHerping Yard Herps Behavior Herp Fun CA Regulations
Beyond CA All Herps


Return to the Top

 © 2000 -