Pickerel Frog

(Lithobates palustris)

Conservation  •  Description  •  Habitat  •  Ecology  •  Distribution  •  Taxonomy

Pickerel Frog
Photo by Jeff LeClere

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5 - Secure
S4 - Apparently Secure

Minnesota

not listed
Species in Greatest Conservation Need

Description

Pickerel frog is a medium-sized true frog. It is the only poisonous frog native to North America. It occurs in the United States from Maine to northern Georgia, west to eastern Minnesota and eastern Texas, and in Canada in southern Quebec and southern Ontario. It is found from April to late October in cool clear streams in heavily wooded areas, in grassy or weed-covered openings near streams, in seeps, and in springs.

Adults are 1¾″ to 3″ (45 to 75 mm) in length. Females tend to be larger and darker than males.

The upper side is gray or tan. The skin is smooth. Prominent pale folds on each side of the back (dorsolateral folds) extend from the head to near the vent. Between the folds there are two rows of squarish or rectangular brown spots and sometimes one or more spots between the rows. Two adjacent spots in a row may merge, creating a single long spot. There are similar blotches on the sides.

The belly and throat are white.

There is a pale stripe on the upper lip.

The hind legs have dark horizontal bands. The inside of each thigh and the area on the side of the body that it conceals have a bright yellow wash. The front toes are not webbed.

Size

Total length: 2″ to 3″ (50 to 75 mm)

Voice

 

Similar Species

 

Habitat

Streams in heavily wooded areas, openings near streams, seeps, and springs

Ecology

Behavior

To deter predators, it can secrete a toxic chemical that can be mildly irritating to humans and fatal to some frogs.

Lifespan

5 to 7 years

Life Cycle

Eggs are attached to aquatic vegetation under water.

Tadpole Food

 

Adult Food

Insects, spiders, and other invertebrates

Distribution

Distribution Map
1/7/2026

Sources

14, 24, 29, 30, 78.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 1/7/2026).

HerpMapper. 2026. HerpMapper - A Global Herp Atlas and Data Hub. Iowa, U.S.A. Available http://www.herpmapper.org. (Accessed: 1/7/2026).

USGS National Amphibian Atlas. https://armi.usgs.gov/atlas/. Accessed 1/7/2026).

Occurrence

Rare in Minnesota

Taxonomy

Class

Amphibia (Amphibians)

Order

Anura (Frogs)

Family

Ranidae (True Frogs)

Genus

Lithobates (American Water Frogs)

Genus

In 2006, Frost et al. transferred most North American true frogs from the genus Rana to Lithobates, a controversial decision initially met with resistance. While Stuart, Pauly et al., and other systematic reviews rejected the change in 2008 and 2009, the transfer has since gained near-universal acceptance by 2024. Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), Amphibian Species of the World, Catalog of Life, GBIF, HerpMapper, iNaturalist, ITIS, NatureServe, NCBI, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), UniProt, and USGS ARMI National Amphibian Atlas use the name Lithobates palustris.

In 2016, a consortium of Rana researchers from Europe, Asia, and North America showed that transferring the species to Lithobates caused problems of paraphyly in other genera. In that same year, Yuan et al. returned all North American true frogs to the genus Rana, using subgenera for all of the well-defined species groups within Rana. AmphibiaWeb uses the name Rana palustris.

Subordinate Taxa

 

Synonyms

Rana palustris

Rana palustris mansuetii

Rana palustris palustris

Rana pardalis

Common Names

Pickerel Frog

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Jeff LeClere

Pickerel Frog

Minnesota Seasons Photos

Slideshows

Lithobates palustris
Evan Grimes

About

Pickerel Frog

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Other Videos

Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris)
Wisconsin Citizen-based Monitoring Network

About

Jun 18, 2012

Pickerel Frog

Pickerel Frog | Lithobates Palustris
Root.Nature.Travel

About

Sep 25, 2022

Enjoy the beauty of the Pickerel Frog | Rana Lithobates Palustris!

The Pickerel Frog is a relatively large frog [2 - 4 in (4.5 - 7.5 cm)] that is identified by the 2 rows of dark-squarish spots running down its back between its dorsolateral folds and its light-colored, blotchy belly. These spots occur on top of dark green-brown background color. This frog is sometimes confused with the Leopard Frog but can be differentiated by the square spots, as mentioned, or by the bright yellow flash colors that occur on the underside of its hind legs. These flash colors are used to confuse predators while trying to escape. Females are usually larger than males. Male Pickerel frogs are recognized by their paired vocal sacs, stout forearms and swollen thumbs. These frogs produce toxic skin secretions that are irritating to humans and can be fatal to other small animals, especially other amphibians. Many frog-eating snakes avoid these frogs for this reason.

Range and Habitat: In North America Rana [Lithobates] palustris is found from the Canadian Maritime Provinces south to the Carolinas, and west to form a line from Minnesota to Texas. In Georgia it is scattered throughout the piedmont and mountains. Rana [L.] palustris prefers to reside in slow-moving streams, ponds, lakes and swampy areas with low, dense vegetation and cooler temperatures than Leopard Frogs.

Habits: Pickerel Frogs breed between late March and early May laying spherical egg masses attached to branches in temporary ponds. These eggs masses can contain 700-3000 eggs with each having a diameter of 1.6 mm. When these eggs hatch, the tadpoles emerge into the water and begin metamorphosis. It takes about 87-95 days before these tadpoles can emerge out of the water as frogs, then another 2 years for them to reach sexual maturity. As tadpoles, Pickerel Frogs are herbivorous, but then become carnivorous as adults. While carnivorous they eat mainly invertebrates.

Call: Males attract the females by emitting a low snore-like call.

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Jeff LeClere
6/14/2015

Pickerel Frog

Location: Winona County

Minnesota Seasons Sightings