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8 Types of Frogs You Can Find in Maine

Maine is the habitat of many frog species with all of its forests and lakes. It isn’t uncommon to find frogs around your home in Maine. With the number of frog species that can be found across the state, it can sometimes be confusing to differentiate the species.

There are generally 8 frog species that are easy to find across the state of Maine including the Mink Frog, Spring Peeper, Wood Frog, Northern Leopard Frog, Gray Tree Frog, Pickerel Frog, and American Bullfrog.

Some of these species of frogs are native to Maine. Whereas a few of them were introduced to the state and became invasive.

Frog SpeciesLocations in MaineHabitat 
Spring PeeperStatewideArboreal
American BullfrogStatewideAquatic 
Green FrogStatewideAquatic 
Pickerel FrogStatewideAquatic 
Northern Leopard FrogStatewideAquatic 
Wood Frog StatewideAquatic 
Mink FrogNorthAquatic 
Gray Tree Frog East, SouthArboreal

That said, I have seen a lot of these frogs and know how to differentiate them. It is a lot of fun to go looking for them in the wild and to observe them in their natural habitat. So let’s dive into the frogs you can find in Maine and my top tips on spotting them.

1. The Gray Tree Frog

Contrary to their name, Gray Tree Frog can actually be found in more colors than just grey. They may also be green or brown and generally use camouflage to blend in with their environment. 

In the daytime, they usually sleep on tree branches or leaves. Since they are arboreal (tree frogs) their toes have sticky pads on them to help them easily climb trees. As a result, you can often find Gray Tree Frogs on our windows, sliding doors, and in trees. 

Gray Tree Frogs are found in the southern and eastern parts of the state of Maine. You can generally hear them calling from April to early June. Their mating call sounds like a very short and melodic trill.

2. The Spring Peeper

The Spring Peeper is known as the smallest frog in Maine. Its size is below 1.5 inches. The frog can be identified by the dark “X” mark on its back. This small amphibian is very commonly found all over Maine in the east, west, north, south, and central parts of the State.

It has a very high-pitched call that travels over half a mile away. These frogs spend most of their time on land, near the base of trees, and close to a freshwater body with no fish. They only get into the water to breed during mating season.

Do You Hear Crickets in Spring? May not be crickets...

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Spring Peeper are nocturnal and are generally the first frogs to call once the snow melts in April. As a result, many people hear them from sunset to 3 am during early spring from April to June. 

They are very hard to find as you can see in my video above. I found it is easiest to head out at night with a flashlight and to listen to their calls to find their location. It can be very rewarding once you finally spot one!

3. The Wood Frog

The Wood Frog is very good at tolerating cold temperatures. Like Spring Peeper and Grey Tree Frogs, Wood Frogs are arboreal and are known to tolerate extreme cold by freezing about 65% of their body to survive the Winter.

When Wood Frogs hibernate during the bitter cold Maine Winters, their heart stops beating, they stop breathing, and their muscle movements cease until the early Spring. Then, in the early spring, they come back to life as they start to thaw (CTNF).

Wood Frog-min

This amphibian’s call sounds like a duck quacking. They are usually the first to start calling in the spring during April to June, generally around the same time as Spring Peeper. Both of these frogs generally live in similar environments. Wood Frogs can be recognized by the black mask on their eyes.

4. The Mink Frog

The Mink Frog is green and brown and is found in small water bodies. They can be found in the northern part of Maine. The Mink Frog has been rumored to produce a musky odor upon handling.

Mink Frogs are superb hiders, and thus, they are hard to find. Individually, their call sounds like a running tap or pieces of wood continuously being hit together. However, as a group, their calls sound like horse hooves on a rocky path.  

5. The Pickerel Frog

A Pickerel Frog has two parallel lines of square-like spots running down its back. The Pickerel Frog is found all over Maine, mainly at the borders, generally in cool waters of streams, ponds, marshes, wetlands, and moist cave entrances.

This frog is medium-sized, ranging from about 2 to 3.5 inches with dorsal folds extending towards its yellowish vent.

6. The Green Frog

The Green Frog is abundant all over Maine. It is naturally greenish-brown, with a white or cream-colored throat, a dark mottling on its head, chest, and under its feet.

Green Frog - Frog Lifespan-min
A Green Frog I Found Near a Pond

These frogs produce up to six different calls. However, the most popularly heard sound of the Green Frog is a heavy “boink” that sounds like a loose guitar string being tugged.

7. The American Bullfrog

American Bullfrogs and native to Maine. They can be found in every part of Maine and are the largest frog species in North America. This frog weighs about 1.5 pounds, usually grows up to 8 inches, and is often hunted for its leg meat. Males have a yellow belly, whereas females generally have a cream-white belly.

The American Bullfrog is generally green or gray-brown, with few brown spots. You can find an American Bullfrog in stagnant water surrounded by vegetation. Furthermore, the sound an American Bullfrog makes is very deep and loud below.

American Bullfrogs are well-known for their big diet. They will eat anything that can fit into their mouth. This includes large spiders, small snakes, small birds, and mice.

8. The Northern Leopard Frog

The Northern Leopard Frog has spots that make it look like a leopard. Years ago, the Northern Leopard Frog was extremely common across the United States. 

A Leopard Frog I Found Near a Lake

However, after the 1970s, the population of Northern Leopard Frogs have dropped, notably due to hunting, loss of habitat, and being used for dissections in biology classes. These two actions are the primary cause of the population decline of Northern Leopard Frogs. This decline makes the Northern Leopard Frog a particular concern in the state of Maine. 

The call of the Northern Leopard Frog is like a really low and rumbling snore or a vibrating grunt. This frog is also known for screaming loudly when startled, grasped, or frightened by a predator.  

More About Frogs in Maine

I love to go out looking for frogs and if you are in Maine, by all means, make frog searching a part of your trip! Maine is a great place to capture photos of a diverse variety of frogs. 

Learn more about where to find frogs in the USA in our guides below:

Sources 

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 2019-20 Research & Management Report: Reptile, Amphibian, and Invertebrate Conservation & Management. 20-MDIFW-24-R&M-RAI

Daniella Master Herpetologist

Daniella is a Master Herpetologist and the founder of toadsnfrogs.com, a website dedicated to educating the general population on frogs by meeting them where they are in their online Google Search. Daniella is passionate about frogs and put her digital marketing skills and teaching experience to good use by creating these helpful resources to encourage better education, understanding, and care for frogs.