Tailed Frog

Ascaphus truei

This unique frog lives in clear, cold mountain streams, where its tadpoles hold on to rocks with a suction-cup-like mouth. The Tailed Frog gets its name from the projection at the end of the male's body. It looks like a short tail but is actually used in mating. Tailed Frogs, along with a few species in New Zealand, are the most primitive frogs in the world. This means that they are still very similar to early frogs on earth.

Look For : A variably colored frog (reddish-brown to olive to gray) with a light area outlined in black on the top of its snout; skin is smooth but has numerous warts; male has a "tail." Apparently voiceless.

Length : 1-2".

Habitat : Cold, fast-flowing mountain streams.

Range : Southern British Columbia to northern California; also western Montana to Idaho.