![]() NPS photo by A. Sanchez In the Everglades, the fine line between water and land often blurs. Consequently, the park serves as the perfect habitat for a number of amphibious species. Frogs and toads are particularly conspicuous and routinely serenade the landscape with a loud and unusual chorus.
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Common Name | Scientific Name | Status | Everglades Spotlight |
---|---|---|---|
Order Anura (Frogs & Toads) | |||
Florida cricket frog | Acris gryllus | 🟩 C | A tiny chirper hopping like a cricket through the grass. |
Oak toad | Bufo quercicus | 🟩 C | A pint-sized toad croaking under the park’s oaks. |
Southern toad | Bufo terrestris | 🟩 C | A warty wanderer belting out a loud trill in the night. |
Greenhouse frog | Eleutherodactylus planirostris | 🟪 I | A tiny invader from Cuba, chirping from the leaf litter. |
Eastern narrow-mouth toad | Gastrophryne carolinensis | 🟩 C | A pointy-nosed hider bleating like a sheep in the mud. |
Green treefrog | Hyla cinerea | 🟩 C | A lime-green climber sticking to leaves with a loud bark. |
Squirrel treefrog | Hyla squirella | 🟩 C | A color-changing trickster chattering like a squirrel. |
Cuban treefrog | Osteopilus septentrionalis | 🟪 I | A big, bold invader croaking from the treetops. |
Florida chorus frog | Pseudacris nigrata | 🟩 C | A chorus crooner singing in harmony after the rain. |
Little grass frog | Pseudacris ocularis | 🟩 C | A mini maestro with a high-pitched peep in the grass. |
Pig frog | Rana grylio | 🟩 C | A grunting giant oinking like a pig in the swamps. |
Southern leopard frog | Rana sphenocephala | 🟩 C | A spotted leaper hopping through the wetlands with a chuckle. |
Eastern spadefoot toad | Scaphiopus holbrookii | ❓ U | A mysterious digger burrowing into the park’s sandy secrets. |
Order Caudata (Salamanders & Newts) | |||
Two-toed amphiuma | Amphiuma means | 🟩 C | An eel-like swimmer slithering through the water with two tiny toes. |
Peninsula newt | Notophthalmus viridescens | 🟩 C | A bright orange wanderer darting through the park’s pools. |
Everglades dwarf siren | Pseudobranchus axanthus | 🟩 C | A tiny, gilled eel hiding in the Everglades’ shallow waters. |
Greater siren | Siren lacertina | 🟩 C | A long, slimy siren wailing its eerie call in the night. |
Sources: Meshaka, W.E., Loftus, W.F., and Steiner, T. (2000) The Herpetofauna of Everglades National Park. Florida Scientist, 63(2)84-103; Steiner, T., and Loftus, W.F. (1991) Amphibians & Reptiles of Everglades National Park. Miami: Everglades Association.
Last updated: April 23, 2025