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List of amphibians of Minnesota facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A list of all the amazing amphibians you can find living in Minnesota! Amphibians are cool creatures that can live both in water and on land. They include salamanders, frogs, and toads. Minnesota is home to many different kinds of these fascinating animals.

Salamanders in Minnesota

There are eight different kinds of salamanders that call Minnesota home. These shy creatures often hide under logs or in wet places.

Spotted Salamander

The Spotted salamander is a chunky, dark salamander with bright yellow spots. It loves to live in forests near ponds. These spots help it stand out!

  • Scientific name: Ambystoma maculatum
  • Status: Least concern (meaning it's not currently endangered)

Blue-spotted Salamander

The Blue-spotted salamander is a slender, dark salamander with small blue or bluish-white spots. They are often found in damp woodlands.

Western Tiger Salamander

The Western tiger salamander is one of the largest land salamanders in North America. It has a dark body with yellow blotches or bars. They are often found near ponds and lakes.

Eastern Tiger Salamander

The Eastern tiger salamander looks a lot like its western cousin. It has a dark body with yellow or olive-green spots. These salamanders spend most of their lives underground.

Four-toed Salamander

The Four-toed salamander is a small salamander with a reddish-brown back and a white belly with black spots. It has a special pinch in its tail near its body.

  • Scientific name: Hemidactylium scutatum
  • Status: Special concern (meaning its population needs to be watched)

Common Mudpuppy

The Common mudpuppy is a unique salamander that lives its whole life in water. It has feathery red gills on the outside of its head, which it uses to breathe underwater.

Central Newt

The Central newt is a type of salamander that changes its appearance throughout its life. Young newts, called "efts," are bright orange or red and live on land. Adults are greenish and live in water.

  • Scientific name: Notophthalmus viridescens
  • Status: Least concern

Red-backed Salamander

The Red-backed salamander is a small, slender salamander. It often has a red stripe down its back, but some can be all gray or black. They live in forests and don't need water to lay their eggs.

Frogs in Minnesota

Minnesota is home to eleven different kinds of frogs. Frogs are known for their jumping abilities and their loud calls, especially during spring.

Blanchard's Cricket Frog

The Blanchard's cricket frog is a tiny frog, usually brown or gray, with bumpy skin. It makes a clicking sound like crickets. This frog is very rare in Minnesota.

Cope's Gray Treefrog

Cope's gray treefrog is a master of camouflage! It can change its skin color to match tree bark. It has a loud, harsh trill call.

Gray Treefrog

The Gray treefrog looks very similar to Cope's gray treefrog and can also change its color. The best way to tell them apart is by their call, which is a slower, more musical trill.

Spring Peeper

The Spring peeper is a very small frog with a dark "X" mark on its back. Its loud, high-pitched "peep" call is one of the first sounds of spring.

Boreal Chorus Frog

The Boreal chorus frog is a small, slender frog with three dark stripes down its back. Its call sounds like someone running a finger over a comb.

Bullfrog

The Bullfrog is the largest frog in North America! It can grow very big and has a deep, booming call that sounds like "jug-o-rum."

Green Frog

The Green frog is a common frog often found near ponds and streams. It has a distinct ridge that runs from behind its eye down its back. Its call sounds like a loose banjo string.

Pickerel Frog

The Pickerel frog has a light brown body with dark, rectangular spots arranged in rows. It produces a skin secretion that can be irritating to predators.

Northern Leopard Frog

The Northern leopard frog is a medium-sized frog with dark, round spots that look like leopard spots. It's a great jumper and can be found in many different habitats.

Mink Frog

The Mink frog gets its name because it can release a smell similar to a mink when handled. It has dark blotches on a green or brown body and is often found in cool, clear waters.

  • Scientific name: Lithobates septentrionalis
  • Status: Least concern

Wood Frog

The Wood frog is known for its ability to survive freezing temperatures by producing a natural antifreeze in its body. It has a dark "mask" around its eyes.

Toads in Minnesota

There are three different kinds of toads found in Minnesota. Toads usually have drier, bumpier skin than frogs and spend more time on land.

American Toad

The American toad is a very common toad with warty, brown or gray skin. It has one or two large warts within each dark spot on its back. Its call is a long, musical trill.

Great Plains Toad

The Great Plains toad has a light stripe down the middle of its back and many dark spots with lighter edges. It lives in drier, open areas like grasslands.

Canadian Toad

The Canadian toad is similar to the American toad but usually has three or more warts within each dark spot on its back. It prefers sandy or gravelly areas.

Images for kids

  • Spotted salamander on leaf

    Spotted salamander

  • Ambystoma laterale

    Blue-spotted salamander

  • Ambystoma mavortium 2006

    Western tiger salamander

  • Tiger salamander

    Eastern tiger salamander

  • Four-toed salamander dorsal

    Four-toed salamander

  • Necturus maculosus maculosus

    Common mudpuppy

  • RedEft

    Central newt (eft stage)

  • Redback Salamander - MI

    Red-backed salamander

  • Acris crepitansPCCA20061001-8206B1

    Blanchard's cricket frog

  • Hyla chrysoscelisPCCA20040509-1704B

    Cope's gray treefrog

  • Hyla versicolor

    Gray treefrog

  • H crucifer USGS

    Spring peeper

  • Western chorus frog

    Boreal chorus frog

  • Bullfrog range

    Bullfrog range map

  • North-American-bullfrog1

    Bullfrog

  • Ran clam NA range

    Green frog range map

  • Green Frog Rana clamitans Facing Left 3008px

    Green frog

  • Range45

    Pickerel frog range map

  • WhiteMountainsFrog

    Pickerel frog

  • Northern leopard frog 1

    Northern leopard frog

  • Mink Frog at night

    Mink frog

  • Rana-sylvatica Range

    Wood frog range map

  • Lithobates sylvaticus (wood frog)

    Wood frog

  • B americanus range23

    American toad range map

  • Bufo americanusPCCA20060417-3352B

    American toad

  • Bufo cognatus1

    Great Plains toad

  • Canadian and Wyoming Toad Ranges

    Canadian toad range map

  • Canadian Toad -Anaxyrus hemiophrys

    Canadian toad

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List of amphibians of Minnesota Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.