Where Do Frogs Go During The Day?

Since most frogs are active at night, it may be intriguing to know where frogs go during the day. In order to know where frogs go during the day and what they do, you have to know which type of frog you are considering.

As a general rule, toads burrow during the day, aquatic frogs sit in the shade at the edge of small pools of fresh water and hide under vegetation during the day, and tree frogs generally sit in the shade on branches in trees during the day.

Let’s have a closer look at where frogs go during the day and what they do depending on the type of frog.

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Toads Burrow During The Day

Toads generally burrow underground during the day to rest, remain moist, hydrated, and out of the full sun. Borrowing allows toads to hide from predators that are active during the day, especially birds. Toads are nocturnal and come out at night to eat.

During the day, you can generally find toads:

  • Under rocks or branches placed on moist soil
  • Underground in a burrow they dug with their hind legs
  • In holes made by other burrowing animals

Do not dig up a resting toad during the day. If you want to observe toads in their natural habitat, wait for them to come out at night when they are actively hopping around looking for bugs to eat.

Toads are very cute yet fragile animals. A lot of people are afraid they can give you warts but that is not true. Toads use their wart-like bumps to camouflage with their environment and protect them from predators (CTNF).

Aquatic Frogs Find Shady Shorelines During The Day

Aquatic frogs can generally be found in permanent bodies of freshwater along the shoreline hiding in the shade among vegetation during the day. Aquatic frogs breathe and drink through their skin and require a steady source of freshwater to remain hydrated and alive.

During the day, you can generally find aquatic frogs:

  • At the edge of calm freshwater
  • Among the vegetation
  • In the shade

Aquatic frogs are generally much easier to find in the wild compared to toads during the day. Some of the best places to find them are at marshes, swamps, ponds, bogs or fens along the shorelines. They will generally be on the side of the body of water that has the most shade among the natural vegetation.

The easiest way to spot aquatic frogs is to look for their snout sticking out of the water. If you look at the water’s surface and see eyes and a green nose pointing out, you probably have spotted an aquatic frog.

Tree Frogs Hide Around Trees

Tree frogs can generally be found in or at the base of trees under leaf litter during the day. Many tree frog species spend most of their time sitting on branches in trees or on leaves during the day. Others do not climb and spend their time at the base of trees under leaf litter.

During the day, you can generally find tree frogs:

  • On horizontal tree branches
  • Under leaflitter

The above image is a photo I took of a Spring Peeper at night. They are so tiny it can be very hard to spot them, and it’s even harder to see them during the day. Tree frogs do not need to be in a permanent source of water like aquatic frogs, but they do need shade to stay hydrated.

Many frogs can generally be found laying on branches during the day, but they can be hard to spot since they tend to be small and camouflage so well. Look for something small and shiny among the tree branches to see them.

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Other tree frogs live at the base of trees or near the forest floor. Do not disturb them during the day by digging around the leaves and let them be. Like toads, tree frogs tend to be nocturnal and come out at night to eat, so go looking for them after sunset.

You can find generally hear Wood Frogs, Spring Peeper, and other small tree frogs calling at night during mating season so this makes finding their location much easier than during the day.

More About What Frogs Do During The Day

Learn more about where frogs and toads go during the day and what they do at night in the guides on our blog below:

Common Questions About Where Frogs Go 

Where do the frogs go in the day? As a general rule, toads burrow during the day, aquatic frogs sit in the shade at the edge of small pools of fresh water and hide under vegetation during the day, and tree frogs generally sit in the shade on branches in trees during the day.

Do frogs make noise during the day? Frogs tend to be quiet during the day since they do not want to be found by predators and most species are nocturnal. Frogs generally actively call and make noise after sunset and at night. However, some frogs may make croaking noises during the day, but they generally are louder at night.

Do frogs come out in the day? Frogs are generally nocturnal and do not come out during the day to avoid predators and the full sun. Frogs tend to hide in shaded areas, underground, under leaf litter or in water among shaded vegetation to avoid predators and the sun during the day.

Where do frogs disappear? Toads may disappear underground by burrowing or may crawl into tight spaces like under rocks to avoid predators. Aquatic frogs tend to dive into the water among vegetation in order to disappear. Tree frogs generally disappear by camouflaging.

How far do frogs travel? Some frog and toad species can travel up to 1 km or .6 miles. Although toads can travel great distances on land, they generally return to where they were born to mate. Most species of aquatic frogs tend to remain close to their birth source of water.

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.