Pacific Northwest Frog (Toad?) ID needed

July 20, 2012 9:53 AM

A poorly-maintained ex Ornamental Carp Pond in Kenmore, Washington has unexpectedly become home to three lovely amphibians, 3-4 inches long. Brownish bodies, greenish heads (the green could be due to algae and weeds.) The most distinguishing feature of these little guys is a sound I have never heard a frog make: a "yowp" or "yelp" noise, which they make when they are startled into jumping back into the pond. Any clues?
posted by dorgla to science & nature (11 answers total)

Probably newts or salamanders of some sort.

Amphibians of Washington.
posted by valkyryn at 9:55 AM on July 20, 2012

I bet it's a pacific giant salamander, they can kinda bark.
posted by Matt Oneiros at 10:00 AM on July 20, 2012 [2 favorites]

Salamanders aren't known for 'jumping' much, though. And the title of the post seems to indicate they're frogs (or toads). I'm betting Bullfrogs. http://www.californiaherps.com/frogs/pages/r.catesbeiana.html
posted by The otter lady at 10:10 AM on July 20, 2012

I think the OP is asking about frogs, guys.

It's really hard to say what it might be without a picture, but there's a good chance it's a Northern Red-legged frog. They're quite common, like ponds, and have the tendency to hop abruptly into the water when startled. Google rana aurora. If your guys have dark spots, they could be Columbia Spotted frogs, but I don't think they yawp much. They spend most of their time in the water, which might be a clue. Rana luteiventris.

What you don't have are toads; toads are pretty terrestrial.
posted by Specklet at 10:13 AM on July 20, 2012

if they -are- bullfrogs, they're considered an invasive species; you might want to catch and remove them. Quite a few ponds in Washington have bullfrogs; people find the tadpoles in shipments of goldfish and let them go, etc. They'll eat our native frogs and indeed anything they can get, once they hit full size, and they are very vocal.
posted by The otter lady at 10:16 AM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

Really sound like mudpuppies, but you're outside their range:

Mudpuppies or waterdogs are aquatic salamanders of the family Proteidae. Their name originates from the misconception that they make a dog-like barking sound.[1] The range of the genus Necturus runs from southern central Canada, through the midwestern United States, east to North Carolina and south to Georgia and Mississippi.[2]

I'm sure the "yowp" before they go back in the water comes from exhausting their lungs so they can submerge more easily, as well as serving as an alarm.

In other words, I think valkyryn is right (and that the idea they make a dog-like sound isn't so misconceived, after all).
posted by jamjam at 10:55 AM on July 20, 2012

Do they have tails?
posted by HuronBob at 11:17 AM on July 20, 2012

I think it's a green frog. Not native to the state, but they exist there in King and Stevens counties. They make a loud squawk when they dive.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:33 PM on July 20, 2012

Here's a better photo of a green frog with a green head.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:39 PM on July 20, 2012

Could be either a bullfrog or a large green frog--both have brownish bodies and are brighter green around the mouth. Bullfrogs are usually larger, but there's some overlap between full-sized green frogs and juvenile bullfrogs in the 3-4 in range.

Both also make an alarm chirp or yelp when they are startled on land and jump back into the water. In this middle of this page you will find some audio of bullfrog alarm calls.

You can compare it to these green frog calls (which you might hear any time--we've got green frogs in our pond, and they are frog grogging out there right now). If you hear that noise during the day, you've got green frogs. If you hear the lower-pitched "roaring" of bullfrogs, you've got bullfrogs.
posted by drlith at 12:41 PM on July 20, 2012

Thanks for the clues. These guys are DEFINITELY the non-native American Green Frogs
(rana clamitans) which one of the posters suggested. I *knew* they weren't bullfrogs. :)
I've never been visiting when they were making any of the green frog calls I've checked
out online - but that "yawp" they make when they leap into the water is a sound I've
never heard out of a frog before. Actually, when I was clicking on frog sound links today,
I came to realize how little I know about the astonishing variety of sounds which different
species of frogs are capable of. "Ribbit," my @ss!
posted by dorgla at 4:42 PM on July 20, 2012