Some frogs in Manitoba, Canada

[numpty]

Nice new addition to the forum!

Just thought I'd post a few pics from a recent trip to SE Manitoba, Canada. I'd expected to have to go off bushwhacking to find amphibians, but as luck would have it a fair number were lurking around in the grounds of the house where I was spending most of my time. My hosts must have thought I was a right dork, wandering around at night with my flashlight.

Anyway, to start off, here's (I think) a Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseadacris maculata), small and often described as a tree frog, though I think it tends to prefer low shrubs more than anything else. As the name implies, it lives in the north and calls in groups.




Next, toads. I don't know ... these could be Canadian Toads, Bufo hemiophrys (or Anaxyrus hemiophrys, depending on your taxonomic preferences), or American Toads, Bufo americanus (Anaxyrus blah blah blah), I'm not absolutely sure. Perhaps a friendly Canadian can help me out? If I had to guess, I'd say the first two look more like Canadians on account of the ridges fused into a solid lump behind the eyes, while the last could be an American for the reason that the ridges aren't so prominent, and definitely aren't fused (but then again it's a juvenile, so maybe the normal rules don't apply). But I'm also looking at the dark patches on the backs of all these guys, and thinking they all look like Americans since some of the dark patches contain more than three warts. Perhaps I'm just hoping they're two different species so I can check two off the list instead of one. I'm sad that way.




On to the Northern Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens ... a real beauty, and the largest frog native to Manitoba, apparently. Up there with the American Toad, anyway.



The Wood Frog, Rana sylvatica. A damnable picture, which I include merely for the sake of completeness. I hang my head in shame at its quality. This was actually the only one I saw. One of those frog species that can freeze solid in winter and thaw out in spring. Cool!


And finally the Grey Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor (or perhaps Cope's Grey Tree Frog, Hyla chrysoscelis ... both occur in this part of Manitoba). I was really hoping I'd see one of these, common as muck though they may be to many of you, as I love tree frogs above all others. I didn't have to go far, as I happened upon the first one shown on the patio table on my first morning. The first three, perhaps four, pics are all of that particular frog sporting a variety of skin tones.








I hope most of the guys pictured above are still around ... a big barbecue was organised in the grounds shortly after most of these pictures were taken which brought in loads of ill-disciplined children, rampaging through the bushes and trampling anything in their way. I also spotted an older guest hammering a Grey Tree Frog with the excuse that she didn't want to catch warts from it ... !!!!!!

No salamanders, sadly. Not for want of trying though ... I must have turned a good 300 logs and rocks in Sandilands Provincial Park.

Thanks for looking.

[John]

I have to hand it to you, you've got a real talent for finding frogs, and for taking great photos of them. Some of the prettiest Grey Tree Frogs I've seen, and I am quite impressed by the looks of that species of Chorus Frog. Thanks for sharing.

[tgampper]

Great photos! There are gray and cope's treefrogs in Nebraska and Iowa and they are very similar in description. About the only way to tell them apart is their call. The call of the gray is bubbly where Cope's has a higher pitch. The pitch changes as the temperature rises so they sound nearly identical. The females will adapt to this change but, strangely, the species will not interbreed. H. versicolor is tetraploid and H. chrysoscelis is diploid.

[UncleChester]

Next, toads. I don't know ... these could be Canadian Toads, Bufo hemiophrys (or Anaxyrus hemiophrys, depending on your taxonomic preferences), or American Toads, Bufo americanus (Anaxyrus blah blah blah), I'm not absolutely sure. Perhaps a friendly Canadian can help me out? If I had to guess, I'd say the first two look more like Canadians on account of the ridges fused into a solid lump behind the eyes, while the last could be an American for the reason that the ridges aren't so prominent, and definitely aren't fused (but then again it's a juvenile, so maybe the normal rules don't apply).

I only see the American version on a regular basis, but for what it's worth I have to agree with your ID here. The differences in the ridges really stands out.

I was really hoping I'd see one of these, common as muck though they may be to many of you, as I love tree frogs above all others. I didn't have to go far, as I happened upon the first one shown on the patio table on my first morning. The first three, perhaps four, pics are all of that particular frog sporting a variety of skin tones.

The first 4 look to be the same. The dark markings line up and so does the square under the eye. I especially like the guy in the pipe with the vocal sac puffed out. And yes, they are common as muck where I am. Some days they literally are landing on my head. Don't worry though, I never, ever take our native treefrog riches for granted- I always enjoy each new find and looking at pictures of them.

I also spotted an older guest hammering a Grey Tree Frog with the excuse that she didn't want to catch warts from it ... !!!!!!.

That's both ignorant and disgusting, and such a horrible thing for you to have seen on your trip.

Nice finds overall and I'm glad you had success with the frogs and toads on your visit. Hopefully you can find some salamanders next time!

[numpty]

Thanks for the comments; glad you liked the pics. High praise indeed.

Thanks also, Brian, for bringing a more expert eye to the photos than my mere touristic guesswork.

[flybyferns]

These photos are just wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing ! Truly enjoyable !