7 Types of Frogs in South Dakota You Can Spot Near Ponds and Prairies
September 22, 2026
South Dakota’s dry winters and short, humid summers might not seem like ideal frog country, but the state’s ponds, prairie potholes, and river bottoms support a surprising range of amphibians. Wildlife biologists with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks recognize a dozen native anuran species statewide, and seven of them are true frogs and their tree-frog relatives rather than toads. Learning the types of frogs in South Dakota helps hikers, anglers, and backyard naturalists tell a chorus frog’s call from a leopard frog’s snore.
Each species on this list has its own preferred habitat, breeding season, and calling pattern, and several look remarkably similar until you know what to check. Some, like the American Bullfrog, are impossible to miss along permanent lakes. Others, like Blanchard’s Cricket Frog, are so small and localized that most residents never encounter one. This guide walks through all seven, along with a note on two species whose presence in the state is debated among herpetologists.
Pro Tip: The easiest way to find frogs in South Dakota is to listen rather than look. Visit wetlands at dusk in April and May when males are calling to attract mates, and you can often identify a species before you ever spot it.
1. Northern Leopard Frog
The Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) is the species most South Dakotans picture when they think of a frog. This species was once the most abundant and widespread frog species in North America, and in South Dakota it can be found throughout the state, though it is much rarer today than in the past. These slender greenish to brownish frogs have dark spots edged with a lighter color, along with a light stripe running along the upper jaw.
Northern Leopard Frogs tend to grow a little over 3 inches in length, making them a medium-sized species compared to the state’s other frogs. You can spot them in South Dakota near slow-moving bodies of water with lots of vegetation, including ponds, lakes, streams, and marshes. The species has two to three unevenly spaced rows of irregular oval-shaped dots on its back, and it remains one of South Dakota’s most common frogs along ponds and lakes.
Despite that relative abundance, the species is not thriving everywhere. Northern Leopard Frog populations are declining in many areas, likely from some combination of habitat loss, drought, introduced fish, environmental contaminants, and disease.
The species is monitored closely for this reason, and any unusual sightings, such as one heard calling in an unexpected area like Custer State Park, are tracked by the South Dakota Natural Heritage program and should be reported to South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks.
Anyone comparing the region’s amphibians more broadly can also check how the closely related leopard frog populations fare in Nebraska’s wetlands and along the Iowa border, where similar declines have been documented.
2. American Bullfrog
The American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is the giant of South Dakota’s frog community. Adult body lengths range from 3.6 to 6 inches, with coloration typically olive green and some individuals showing gray or brown mottling or spots, along with fully webbed back feet. Believe it or not, they can grow to weigh as much as 1.5 pounds.
Bullfrogs stick close to water year-round. They can be found in permanent bodies of water, including swamps, ponds, and lakes, and in South Dakota that generally means the southern part of the state near larger, stable water sources. The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in the state and is found near permanent bodies of water such as large ponds, streams, and lakes.
The species’ name comes from its unmistakable voice. They are named for their deep call, which is thought to sound like a bull bellowing. Breeding behavior is territorial and drawn out compared to other local species. During the breeding season, males select egg sites in shallow waters that they defend aggressively, and a female chooses a mate by entering his territory. The species is also one of the first frogs to start breeding in the spring once the ice melts from the ponds, and it breeds the longest out of all the species in the state.
Bullfrogs are also opportunistic eaters. Due to their fairly large size, these frogs eat various foods, including worms, crickets, flies, and small frogs, snakes, and birds, and in one study a bat was even observed being eaten. For readers curious how this appetite fits into the broader food web, the species’ fondness for insects overlaps with concerns covered in a guide to South Dakota’s mosquito populations, since bullfrogs are among the predators that help keep those numbers in check.
Bullfrogs introduced outside their native range have also become a management issue in states such as Illinois and Arizona, where wildlife agencies track their spread into new watersheds.
3. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi) holds the title of one of the tiniest vertebrates in South Dakota. It is one of South Dakota’s smallest vertebrates, found only in the extreme southeast corner of the state, with adults averaging only about 1 inch in length. The frog is aquatic, and although it belongs to the tree-frog family, it does not climb very often.
Taxonomically, this species sits in an interesting middle ground. It is part of the treefrog family along with Cope’s Gray Treefrog and the Boreal Chorus Frog, and one characteristic all three species share is circular toe pads on the tips of their fingers that help them climb. Even with that climbing equipment, Blanchard’s Cricket Frog spends most of its time at ground level near open water rather than perched in vegetation.
Key Insight: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog’s tadpoles have a defense trick worth knowing. Cricket frog tadpoles often carry a large black spot near the tip of the tail, which tricks predators into striking the tail instead of the head or body where vital organs are located.
Because its range is confined to the far southeastern corner of the state, near the border shared with Iowa, this is one of the harder South Dakota frogs to encounter by chance. Anyone hoping to find one should focus searches on shallow, vegetated pond edges rather than deeper water, since the species rarely strays far from the shoreline.
4. Plains Spadefoot
The Plains Spadefoot (Spea bombifrons) looks more like a toad than a frog at first glance, but it belongs to its own separate family. This species looks like a toad but has smooth skin and no large poison gland, and it also has cat-like pupils that help it see at night when it is most active.
Spadefoots spend most of their lives out of sight. The Plains Spadefoot is known for its vertically elongated pupil and markings similar to an hourglass on its upper sides, and it spends most of its life buried in the soil, emerging to breed only after heavy rains in spring or summer. In South Dakota, they can be found in dry grassland and the plains of the southeastern and southwestern parts of the state.
Important Note: Because Plains Spadefoots stay underground most of the year, they can go completely unseen for months at a time even in areas where they are common. A sudden chorus after a summer thunderstorm is often the only sign one is nearby.
Breeding for this species is opportunistic rather than seasonal in the strict sense. In the spring, frogs and toads move to ponds and wetlands to breed, but spadefoots will also breed in response to heavy summer rain events that fill temporary pools. This adaptation lets them exploit South Dakota’s unpredictable prairie climate, a survival strategy shared by other burrowing wildlife discussed in guides covering the state’s bats, many of which also time activity around seasonal insect booms.
5. Boreal Chorus Frog
The Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata) is easy to overlook and easy to hear. This frog is South Dakota’s smallest at only about an inch long, typically brown with three dark lateral stripes or spots down its back and a white upper lip, and it can be found in grasslands, woodlands, and urban areas across one of the largest distributions of any species in the state, appearing almost statewide.
Its call is one of the more distinctive sounds of a South Dakota spring. The boreal chorus frog sounds similar to the spring peeper in that it sounds like fingers running over a comb, though the boreal chorus frog’s call is more tinny and mechanical compared to the musical whistle of a peeper. This small chorus frog ranges from brown, red, tan, to olive in color and is very similar to the Spring Peeper, but instead of an X on its back it has three lines running down its back.
Even though the species is widespread, spotting one takes effort. While the Boreal Chorus Frog can be common in South Dakota, it is rarely seen, since it is small and secretive, inhabiting moist meadows and forests near wetlands, and it breeds in shallow temporary ponds and pools such as flooded fields.
County-level survey records back up how broadly established the species has become; recent survey batches have added new county records for the Boreal Chorus Frog in areas such as McPherson County. The species has close relatives with similar habits across the region, including populations profiled in guides to Nebraska and Oregon, where related chorus frogs fill a similar ecological niche.
6. Green Frog
The Green Frog (typically classified as Lithobates clamitans) is a familiar pond species across much of the eastern United States, and its status in South Dakota is one of the more debated points among the state’s herpetologists. South Dakota sits in the Midwestern region of the United States with a temperate climate and terrain that is mostly rolling hills and plains, and some regional wildlife references list the green frog among the amphibians present in the state alongside the American toad, bullfrog, chorus frog, and leopard frog.
Important Note: The official species checklist maintained by Amphibians and Reptiles of South Dakota, which documents confirmed records for all species in the state, lists twelve frog and toad species and does not include the Green Frog or Pickerel Frog among them. Where these two species appear in broader regional references, sightings are best treated as rare, unconfirmed, or occurring only at the extreme eastern edge of the state near the Minnesota and Iowa borders, where both species are well established.
Where Green Frogs are confirmed, in neighboring states, they share several traits with the American Bullfrog that make field identification tricky. Green Frogs are very similar to bullfrogs, but Green Frogs have a dorsal ridge running down the back, and the bullfrog’s ridge instead wraps around the tympanum rather than extending down the sides. Green frogs are medium-sized true frogs that grow up to four inches long and weigh from one to three ounces, named for their bright green heads, which contrast with mottled grey or brown bodies.
For readers comparing regional distributions, Green Frogs are firmly established and common in states well east of South Dakota. These frogs are native to the eastern half of North America, ranging from Florida up to Canada, which explains why they show up reliably in guides to North Carolina and South Carolina but only marginally, if at all, in South Dakota records.
7. Pickerel Frog
The Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris) is another species whose presence in South Dakota is disputed, and like the Green Frog it sits outside the state’s officially confirmed checklist. Where it does occur, in states to the east, it is a distinctive medium-sized frog.
It is recognized by two distinct rows of dark, squarish spots running down the back between the dorsolateral folds, with a background color usually brown to greenish-brown and a pale venter with blotchy mottling, and the concealed surfaces of the hind legs display bright yellow or orange flash coloration that may startle predators during escape.
Confusion with the far more common Northern Leopard Frog is the biggest identification challenge. This medium-sized frog is similar to the Northern Leopard Frog, but the spots located between the dorsolateral folds along the back are paired and rectangular rather than rounded. Its call is a quiet, long drawn-out snore, similar to the Northern Leopard Frog’s but lacking the chuckle at the end.
The species’ documented range gives a clearer picture of why South Dakota sightings are so scarce. The pickerel frog is found throughout much of the eastern United States and parts of southeastern Canada, and it is abundant along the east coast and found as far west as Missouri. That places most confirmed populations several states away from South Dakota’s borders.
This species also produces toxic skin secretions that deter predators and can be irritating to humans, which is worth knowing for anyone handling amphibians in the field, though it is a mild irritant rather than a genuine danger; South Dakota has no seriously poisonous frog species of any kind.
The table below summarizes the size, habitat, and best viewing conditions for all seven species covered in this guide.
| Common Name | Typical Adult Size | Preferred Habitat | Best Time to Spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Leopard Frog | About 3 inches | Ponds, lakes, streams, marshes with vegetation | Spring through summer, near still water |
| American Bullfrog | 3.6 to 6 inches | Permanent ponds, lakes, and streams | Warm evenings, spring through late summer |
| Blanchard’s Cricket Frog | About 1 inch | Shallow, vegetated pond edges (SE South Dakota only) | Late spring and summer |
| Plains Spadefoot | 1.5 to 2.5 inches | Dry grasslands, temporary pools after rain | After heavy spring or summer rain |
| Boreal Chorus Frog | About 1 inch | Grasslands, woodlands, temporary wetlands | Early spring calling season |
| Green Frog (rare/marginal) | Up to 4 inches | Permanent ponds near eastern border areas | Summer, where present |
| Pickerel Frog (rare/marginal) | 1.75 to 3.25 inches | Cool streams and ponds near eastern border areas | Spring breeding season, where present |
South Dakota’s frog population reflects the state’s split personality as a landscape: dry, rolling prairie in the west and wetter, more wooded terrain along its eastern river valleys. Species like the Plains Spadefoot and Boreal Chorus Frog have adapted to the arid conditions found across much of the state, while the American Bullfrog and Northern Leopard Frog depend on the permanent water sources concentrated along its river systems. The two edge-of-range species, the Green Frog and Pickerel Frog, are a reminder that state borders rarely line up neatly with the natural boundaries that actually shape wildlife distribution.
Anyone spending time outdoors in South Dakota, whether birdwatching, fishing, or simply walking near a wetland during turkey hunting season, has a reasonable chance of encountering several of these species without ever seeking them out. Learning their calls remains the single best way to confirm which frog is nearby, since many of these species look far more alike than they sound.
For a broader look at how these species compare to frogs found elsewhere in North America, the overview of frog diversity across the country offers useful context for placing South Dakota’s seven species within the bigger picture.