15 Types Of Frogs You Can Find In Texas

Frogs are abundant in various parts of the United States, and Texas is home to a wide range of amphibian species. With so many fascinating frogs to find in the wild, it can become challenging to differentiate one species from another.

Texas is inhabited by the Blanchard’s Cricket Frog, Canyon Tree Frog, Cope’s Gray Tree Frog, Green Tree Frog, Squirrel Tree Frog, Gray Tree Frog, Spotted Chorus Frog, Strecker’s Chorus Frog, Cajun Chorus Frog, Spring Peeper, Mexican Tree Frog, Mexican White-Lipped Frog, Rio Grande Chirping Frog, Spotted Chirping Frog, and Eastern Barking Frog.

Here is a summary of frogs that can be found in Texas:

Frog SpeciesTexas LocationHabitat
Blanchard’s Cricket FrogStatewideArboreal
Canyon Tree FrogStatewideArboreal 
American Green Tree FrogStatewideArboreal 
Cope’s Gray Tree FrogEastArboreal 
Squirrel Tree FrogEastArboreal 
Strecker’s Chorus FrogEastArboreal
Cajun Chorus FrogEastArboreal
Spring PeeperEastArboreal 
Gray Tree FrogEastern-CentralArboreal
Spotted Chorus FrogCentralArboreal
Mexican Tree FrogSouthArboreal 
Mexican White-Lipped FrogSouthArboreal 
Rio Grande Chirping FrogSouthArboreal
Spotted Chirping FrogBig Bend AreaArboreal
Eastern Barking FrogWestArboreal 

Although there are many frog species living in Texas, these frogs can easily be mistaken for similar looking frogs. Join us as we discuss which frogs live in Texas, where to find them, and how to discern them from other frog species. 

1. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog

Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs (Acris blanchardi) are brown, tan, or olive green, and have darker bands across their legs. They have warty skin and have a dark triangular mark between their eyes. These frogs are small, growing to 0.6 inches, and inhabit slow-moving water bodies such as ponds and wetlands. 

2. Canyon Tree Frog

Canyon Tree Frogs (Dryophytes arenicolor) are gray-brown, gray-green, or brown, and they frequently have dark blotches. Their patterns vary according to their environment, and they blend in well with rock colorations and soil. They grow to 2.2 inches and live in semiarid, rocky areas near permanent water sources in Texas.

3. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog

Cope’s Gray Tree Frogs (Dryophytes chrysoscelis), otherwise known as Southern Gray Tree Frogs, are gray with bright yellow or orange patches on their hind legs. They have fast and high-pitched mating calls, distinguishing them from similar species. Their skin secretions may be toxic, and they live in woodland habitats.

4. Gray Tree Frog

Gray Tree Frogs (Dryophytes versicolor), otherwise known as Common Gray Tree Frogs or Eastern Gray Tree Frogs, can shift their skin color from gray to brown or green and have varying levels of mottling. They have lumpy skin and bright yellow or orange hind legs with dark bands. These frogs grow to 2 inches and inhabit forested and woodland areas in Texas. 

5. American Green Tree Frog

American Green Tree Frogs (Dryophytes cinereus) are smooth and green, ranging from yellow-olive to lime green. They have small patches of white or gold and often have pale yellow, cream, or white lines running from their jaws to the groin. These frogs grow to 2.5 inches and inhabit the trees around ponds, lakes, marshes, and calm streams with floating vegetation in Texas.

Green Tree Frog-min

6. Squirrel Tree Frog

Squirrel Tree Frogs (Dryophytes squirellus) are green but may occur in shades of brown, yellow, or white with brown blotching. These frogs grow to 1.5 inches and inhabit a range of environments, including swamps, groves, wooded areas, fields, and urban areas featuring moisture and shelter. 

7. Spotted Chorus Frog

Spotted Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris clarkii), otherwise known as Clark’s Tree Frogs, range between gray or olive green and have lighter shades of mottling on their backs. They have white undersides, grow to 1.25 inches, and inhabit grasslands and prairies in Texas.

8. Strecker’s Chorus Frog

Strecker’s Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris streckeri) are light gray, green, or brown and have dark longitudinal blotches with distinguishing dark spots under their eyes. They have white undersides with orange or yellow around the groin. These frogs grow to 1.5 inches. 

9. Cajun Chorus Frog

Cajun Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris fouquettei) are light brown, and often have pale ventral surfaces with yellowish-brown speckles on the throats. They are small at less than an inch, and they inhabit forested areas, fields, and ditches. They are similar to other Pseudacrus species, but they can be differentiated by their habitat range and mating call. 

10. Spring Peeper

Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) are brown, olive green, gray, or tan with a distinctive ‘X’ marking on their backs. They have slightly pale sides and dark throats, and they can be identified by their high-pitched mating call (CTNF). They grow to 1.5 inches and inhabit regenerating woodlands, forests, and wetlands in Texas.

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

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11. Mexican Tree Frog

Mexican Tree Frogs (Smilisca baudinii), otherwise known as Van Vliet’s Frogs or Baudin’s Tree Frogs,  are gray or dark brown with irregular blotches. They have pale undersides and inhabit lightly forested areas near permanent water bodies.

12. Mexican White-Lipped Frog

Mexican White-Lipped Frogs (Leptodactylus fragilis) are gray-brown with dark mottling. They have white stripes along their upper lips, grow to 1.2 – 2 inches, and inhabit semi-arid areas such as savanna, grasslands, lowland regions, and montane tropical forests in Texas.

13. Rio Grande Chirping Frog

Rio Grande Chirping Frogs (Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides), also known as Lowland Chirping Frogs, are brown, yellow-green, or gray with darker spots. They have translucent ventral skin and dark crossbars on their hind legs. These frogs grow to 1 inch and inhabit moist, shaded, and vegetated areas, such as groves or thickets. 

14. Spotted Chirping Frog

Spotted Chirping Frogs (Eleutherodactylus guttilatus), otherwise known as Mexican Cliff Frogs, have brown or rust-colored skin with mottling across their backs. They grow to 1.25 inches and inhabit rocky areas in moderate elevation ranges, specifically throughout the Davis Mountains in Western Texas. 

15. Eastern Barking Frog

Eastern Barking Frogs (Craugastor augusti), also known as Common Robber Frogs or Cliff Frogs, range in brown or gray shades with distinct skin folds on the back of their heads. They are medium-sized, growing to 1.9 – 3.7 inches, and they inhabit caves, crevices, shrublands, and deserts. 

More About Frogs in Texas and the USA

I love to go out looking for frogs and if you are in Texas, by all means, make frog searching a part of your trip! Texas 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:

Master Herpetologist

Sam is a Biologist passionate about amphibians. He took over toadsnfrogs.com to make frog education engaging and accessible, providing resources that inspire others to care for frogs and their habitats.