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Barking treefrog

Hyla gratiosa · Frogs and toads · Amphibians

Barking treefrog (Hyla gratiosa): Largest treefrog in the southeastern US: 5.1-7 cm, bulky. Very rough, granular skin. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Barking treefrog — verified North Ground species photograph
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Scientific name
Hyla gratiosa
Family
Hylidae
In North America
Native
Range
Coastal Plain and some uplands from North Carolina to southern Florida and west to Louisiana, including northern Mississippi; disjunct populations in Delaware and Maryland, southwestern Kentucky and Tennessee and southeastern Virginia; introduced and probably extirpated in southern New Jersey. Not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Largest treefrog in the southeastern US: 5.1-7 cm, bulky. [1][2]

Very rough, granular skin. [1][2]

Colour varies from bright lime green to brown but almost always with darker back spots. [1][2]

Lighter stripe from the upper jaw along the body; males have a light green or yellow throat. [1][2]

Rounded pads on the digits; loud 'bark' call. [1][2]

Compared with the green treefrog: Smooth skin and a bright white or yellowish side stripe; smaller. [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a barking treefrog before you act. Compared with the green treefrog: Smooth skin and a bright white or yellowish side stripe; smaller.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Sandy pine savannas and low wet woods and swamps; breeds in shallow ponds, swamps and bayheads, preferring semi-permanent ponds without fish. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Nocturnal; rests high in trees by day and is mostly arboreal. [1][2]

Burrows under roots, vegetation or soil in cold or dry seasons. [1][2]

Breeds after heavy rains in spring or summer; clutches up to about 2,000 eggs; groups generally under 20-25 males. [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Coastal Plain and some uplands from North Carolina to southern Florida and west to Louisiana, including northern Mississippi; disjunct populations in Delaware and Maryland, southwestern Kentucky and Tennessee and southeastern Virginia; introduced and probably extirpated in southern New Jersey. Not in Canada.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology