Amphibians

This Woodhouse's toad makes use of its coloring to blend in with its sandy environment.

NPS / Jake Frank

 

Amphibians are ectothermic (cold-blooded) vertebrates that live part of their lives in water and part on land. Dinosaur National Monument is home to 5 confirmed species of amphibians. There are 4 known members from the order Anura, which includes frogs, spadefoots, and toads. The park is also home to the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). Because of how sensitive they are to environmental change, scientists often rely on amphibian populations to gauge environmental health. In this way, amphibians serve an important role in conservation science, both here and around the world.

A note on scientific names: Taxonomy is the system scientists use to classify all living organisms. Under this system, every organism has at least two names (a genus name and species name) that makes up their "scientific name." Sometimes, these names change as scientists learn more about a particular organism. Recently, many North American amphibians' scientific names have changed. While the NPS Species tool may use older names, the names listed on this webpage are correct as of February 2022.

For a complete list of amphibians found in Dinosaur National Monument, use the NPS Species tool below or continue reading.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Dinosaur National Monument

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

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Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.

 

Frogs

Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana)

 

Northern Leopard Frog

NPS / Dan Johnson

Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
Named for its spots, the northern leopard frog is most easily recognized by its large, dark oval-shaped patches, each haloed with a light-colored ring. The frog has smooth skin, ridges running down its back, and is usually green, brown, or yellow-green in color. Capable of growing up to 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) in length, they require links between wetland and upland habitats in order to survive. Unfortunately, leopard frogs have experienced dramatic population declines across the West. Factors that have contributed to this include climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species, such as bullfrogs and nonnative fish.

Learn more about northern leopard frogs here.

 

American bullfrog

NPS / Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana)
While they're native to the eastern and central United States, American bullfrogs are actually an invasive species in the West. They were introduced by humans, both as a food source and to help control insect populations. Some may also have been inadvertently introduced through fish stocking practices. Unfortunately, these frogs will eat almost anything that can fit in their mouths. Besides insects, they have also been known to eat other amphibians, rodents, lizards, snakes, and even bats and birds. These behemoths can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) in length and weigh over 2 lbs (32 oz). They both prey on and present significant competition for resources with native species, like northern leopard frogs.

 

Spadefoots

Great Basin Spadefoot (Spea intermontana)

 

Great Basin Spadefoot

NPS / Capitol Reef National Park

Great Basin Spadefoot (Spea intermontana)
These native frogs are notoriously hard to spot. Not only are they nocturnal, but they spend most of their time underground. Named for the hardened black "spades" on their feet, it's no surprise that they're great diggers. (Although, they sometimes cheat by co-opting small mammal burrows). The goal in staying below ground is to keep their skin from losing moisture to the dry air. For this reason, they prefer the loose, sandy soils near wetlands. Great Basin spadefoots have gray or olive colored bumpy skin and golden eyes with vertical pupils, giving them a toad-like appearance (However, they are not true toads). They can grow up to 2.5 inches (6 cm) long, and feed mainly on insects and worms.

 

Toads

Woodhouse's Toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii)

 

Woodhouse's toad

NPS / Dan Johnson

Woodhouse's Toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii)
Woodhouse's toads are a native species in Dinosaur National Monument. These toads have bumpy, brown, gray, or light-brown skin. They are distinguishable by a pale line running down the middle of the back. Woodhouse's toads can grow up to 5 inches (12.7 cm) in length, although males are typically smaller than females. Like spadefoot toads, they spend most of the day buried underground to preserve moisture. They are common in riparian (wetland) habitats, but they can also be found in upland areas with harder soils if a permanent water source is nearby.

 

Salamanders

 

Tiger Salamander

NPS / Petrified Forest National Park

Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
This is the only salamander found in Dinosaur National Monument, where it is a native species. Like Dinosaur's native toads, tiger salamanders typically rest in burrows during the day and emerge at night. They have broad heads with protruding eyes, and average 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) in length. Their bodies are typically dark with yellow stripes, spots, or blotches. They prefer riparian (wetland) habitats and are most often seen at dusk after strong rainstorms.

 

Conservation

Because of how sensitive they are to changes in their habitats, scientists often use amphibian populations to gauge the overall health of an environment. Unfortunately, amphibian populations around the world are in decline. They face a number of threats, including habitat loss, climate change, disease, and chemical contamination of their watery habitats. Many species of frogs and toads are also nocturnal. As such, they often have especially sensitive eyes that are adversely affected by light pollution. By trying to preserve the natural conditions of the lands they manage, National Park Service sites like Dinosaur National Monument play a big role in amphibian conservation. Read more about threats amphibians face and the National Park Service's monitoring efforts here.