List of amphibians and reptiles of Oregon facts for kids

Foothill yellow-legged frog

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is home to many amazing creatures! You can find 31 different kinds of amphibians and 29 types of reptiles living here. Amphibians are animals like frogs and salamanders that can live both in water and on land. Reptiles are animals like snakes and lizards, known for their scales.

Amphibians of Oregon

Meet the Tiger Salamander

The tiger salamander is a large salamander. It usually grows to be 6 to 8 inches long. Some can even reach up to 14 inches! Adults often have blotchy patterns of grey, green, or black. They have big eyes, short snouts, and strong legs. Their diet mainly includes small insects and worms. Sometimes, they might even eat small frogs or baby mice.

Discover the Northwestern Salamander

The northwestern salamander lives along the Pacific coast of North America. These salamanders can grow up to 8.7 inches long. You can find them from Alaska, through Washington and Oregon, all the way down to California. They live from sea level up to high mountain areas.

Explore the Long-toed Salamander

The long-toed salamander is a smaller salamander, usually 1.6 to 3.5 inches long. It has a unique look with black, brown, and yellow spots. A special feature is its long outer fourth toe on its back feet. These salamanders live in many places, from rainforests to mountain meadows. They spend their breeding time in slow-moving streams, ponds, and lakes. In winter, they hibernate and live off energy stored in their skin and tail.

Giant Salamanders of Oregon

Oregon is home to several types of giant salamanders.

Cope's Giant Salamander

The Cope's giant salamander is a unique salamander that stays in its water-dwelling form its whole life. It never changes to live on land. It is smaller than other giant salamanders, growing to about 4.8 to 7.5 inches. It has a narrow head and shorter limbs. Its body is brown with yellowish-tan patches.

Coastal Giant Salamander

The coastal giant salamander is another large salamander. It lives in temperate forests, rivers, and lakes. You can find it in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia.

Torrent Salamanders

Oregon has several types of torrent salamanders. These are small salamanders, less than 5 inches long. They love clear, cold mountain streams.

• The Columbia torrent salamander lives in temperate forests and freshwater springs.
• The southern torrent salamander is found from Northern California to Southern Oregon.
• The Cascade torrent salamander lives in the Cascade Mountains of the United States.

Rough-skinned Newt's Defense

The rough-skinned newt is famous for its strong poison. This newt lives along the West Coast of the United States and British Columbia. Its range goes from Santa Cruz, California, all the way north to Alaska.

Forest Salamanders

Many salamanders in Oregon live in forests.

Dunn's Salamander

The Dunn's salamander lives in temperate forests, freshwater springs, and rocky areas. It eats small invertebrates. This salamander does not have a larval stage, meaning it hatches looking like a miniature adult.

Larch Mountain Salamander

The Larch Mountain salamander is found in the Cascade Mountains of southern Washington and northern Oregon. It prefers temperate forests and rocky areas.

Western Red-backed Salamander

The Western redback salamander lives in temperate forests and rocky areas. It has a colored stripe on its back that can be red or yellow.

Del Norte Salamander

The Del Norte salamander is 2.4 to 3 inches long from snout to vent. It lives in temperate forests and rocky areas.

Siskiyou Mountains Salamander

The Siskiyou Mountains salamander is found only in specific spots along the Klamath River in California and Oregon. It is closely related to the Del Norte salamander.

Ensatina Salamander

The Ensatina is a type of lungless salamander. It lives in coniferous forests, oak woodlands, and chaparral. Its range stretches from British Columbia down to Baja California in Mexico.

Clouded Salamander

The clouded salamander lives in temperate forests. It is thought that many of these salamanders nest in trees.

Black Salamander

The black salamander lives in temperate forests and grasslands.

Oregon Slender Salamander

The Oregon slender salamander is found in moist Douglas fir, maple, and red cedar woodlands in Oregon. It lives up to 3,000 feet high.

California Slender Salamander

The California slender salamander is a lungless salamander. It is mostly found in coastal mountain areas of Northern California and parts of southwestern Oregon.

Frogs of Oregon

Oregon is home to many frog species, each with unique features.

Coastal Tailed Frog

The coastal tailed frog is special because the male has a "tail." This tail is actually an extension that helps the frog reproduce in fast-flowing streams. It is the only North American frog that reproduces this way.

Pacific Tree Frog

The Pacific tree frog is a very common chorus frog. It lives from the West Coast of the United States to British Columbia. These frogs can live anywhere from sea level to over 10,000 feet high. They can be green or brown and can even change colors! They live in many different habitats and breed in water.

Great Basin Spadefoot Toad

The Great Basin spadefoot is a type of toad found in many habitats. These include forests, shrublands, grasslands, and even deserts. They are found from southern British Columbia through eastern Washington and Oregon, and into Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.

Western Toad

The western toad is a large toad, growing between 2.2 and 5.1 inches long. It has a white or cream stripe down its back. Its skin is dusky grey or greenish with dark blotches.

Woodhouse's Toad

The Woodhouse's toad is a medium-sized true toad, about 4 inches long. It is native to the United States and Mexico.

American Bullfrog

The American bullfrog is a large aquatic frog. It is native to much of North America. You usually find them along the edges of large, permanent water bodies like swamps, ponds, and lakes. On rainy nights, they might travel over land.

Columbia Spotted Frog

The Columbia spotted frog is a medium-sized frog, up to 3.5 inches long. Its color ranges from dark olive green to light brown. It has irregular black spots on its back and legs. Its belly and upper lip are white. These frogs spend most of their time in water and have more webbing on their back feet than other similar frogs.

Northern Leopard Frog

The northern leopard frog is a fairly large frog, reaching about 4.3 inches long. It can be green or brown with large dark circular spots on its back, sides, and legs. These frogs live in many places, including ponds, swamps, and streams in forests and open areas. They are good at living in cold places and can be found high up in mountains.

Northern Red-legged Frog

The Northern red-legged frog lives along the coastal region from British Columbia to Northern California. This frog needs still waters for breeding. It usually stays close to its breeding ponds or marshes.

Oregon Spotted Frog

The Oregon spotted frog is a true frog found in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. It used to be found in California but is no longer there. In Oregon, you can find it in Deschutes, Lane, and Klamath counties.

Cascades Frog

The Cascades frog lives in the western United States and possibly Canada. It is mainly found in the Cascade Range and Olympic Mountains. Its natural habitats include temperate forests, grasslands, rivers, swamps, and lakes. It lives at elevations between 2,180 and 8,040 feet.

Foothill Yellow-legged Frog

The foothill yellow-legged frog is a small frog, about 1.5 to 3.2 inches long. It lives from northern Oregon, down California's west coast, and into Baja California, Mexico.

Reptiles of Oregon

Turtles of Oregon

Oregon has two main types of turtles.

Painted Turtle

The painted turtle is the most common native turtle in North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters. You can find it from southern Canada down to Louisiana and from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts.

Western Pond Turtle

The western pond turtle is a small to medium-sized turtle. Its shell can grow to about 8 inches long. It lives along the west coast of the United States and Mexico, from Washington state to northern Baja California.

Lizards of Oregon

Oregon is home to many interesting lizards.

Northern Alligator Lizard

The northern alligator lizard is a medium-sized, slender lizard. Adults are about 4 inches long from snout to vent. They have a distinct skin fold on their sides. Their color is brownish, often with dark blotches. They live along the Pacific Coast and in the Rocky Mountains.

Southern Alligator Lizard

The southern alligator lizard is native to the Pacific coast of North America. It is common in Southern California and can be found in grasslands, forests, and even cities. In Oregon, you might find the Oregon alligator lizard, which is a type of southern alligator lizard.

Horned Lizards

These lizards are often called "horned toads" but they are actually lizards!

• The pygmy short-horned lizard is a small lizard found in North America.
• The desert horned lizard lives in western North America, from southern Idaho to northern Mexico.

Sagebrush Lizard

The sagebrush lizard is a common lizard found in the Western United States. It is named after the sagebrush plants where it is often found. It has spiny scales on its back.

Western Skink

The western skink is a small, smooth-scaled lizard, about 4 to 8 inches long. They are very adaptable and spend much of their day basking in the sun. Their diet includes spiders and beetles. They are common but secretive, found throughout Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.

Western Fence Lizard

The western fence lizard is a common lizard in California and nearby areas. Its belly is often blue, so it's also called the blue-belly. It lives in many different habitats, from grasslands to forests, and at various elevations.

Side-blotched Lizard

The common side-blotched lizard is common on the Pacific coast of North America. It has a unique way of finding mates, with three types of males using different strategies.

Whiptail Lizards

Oregon has a few types of whiptail lizards.

• The western whiptail is a small lizard, about 10 to 14 inches long. It has a large head, long nose, and a long tail. It lives in deserts, shrublands, and open forests.
• The plateau striped whiptail is another lizard found in Oregon.

Snakes of Oregon

Oregon has many different snake species, both harmless and venomous.

Rubber Boa

The rubber boa is a non-venomous snake. It is part of the boa family, which includes 43 species. The rubber boa is found in western North America.

Racer Snake

The racer is a non-venomous snake. They are found throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Racers typically grow to about 3.5 feet long, but some can reach 6 feet. They are often solid-colored, like black, blue, or green.

Sharptail Snake

The sharp-tailed snake is a small, secretive snake. It lives in the western United States, including California, Oregon, and Washington, and also in British Columbia, Canada.

Ringneck Snake

The ringneck snake is a secretive, nocturnal snake. It is slightly venomous but not dangerous to humans. They are known for curling their tails to show a bright red-orange underside when they feel threatened.

Night Snake

The night snake is a rear-fanged snake. It is found in the southern and western United States, as well as Mexico. Not much is known about its exact population due to its secretive nature.

Kingsnakes

Oregon has two types of kingsnakes.

• The common kingsnake is a harmless snake found in the United States and Mexico.
• The California mountain kingsnake is a non-venomous snake that looks like a venomous coral snake. It has a pattern of red, black, and yellow. It is found mostly in the mountains of California, but also in southern Washington and Oregon.

Striped Whipsnake

The striped whipsnake is a non-venomous snake. It is native to the western United States and northern Mexico. Its range extends from south-central Washington through Oregon and California.

Gopher Snake

The gopher snake is a harmless snake found in North America. They can be found in many habitats, from deserts to mountain areas. They are often found in farm areas because there is a lot of food there.

Western Ground Snake

The western ground snake is a small, harmless snake. Its patterns and colors can vary a lot. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

Garter Snakes

Oregon has several types of garter snakes.

• The aquatic garter snake is found only along the coast of Oregon and California.
• The western terrestrial garter snake is found in southwestern Canada and the western United States. Most have a yellow, orange, or white stripe down their back. They often live in coniferous forests and like water.
• The northwestern garter snake lives in Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia. It is a small snake, about 14 to 21 inches long. It is one of the most varied snakes in the world in terms of color and pattern.
• The common garter snake is a snake native to North America. Most have yellow stripes on a brown background. They are active during the day, especially in the morning and late afternoon in summer.

Western Rattlesnake

The western rattlesnake is a venomous snake found in western North America. It is a type of pitviper. Like all rattlesnakes, it has a rattle at the end of its tail that it shakes to warn predators.

See also

• Birds of Oregon