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Plains leopard frog

Lithobates blairi · Frogs and toads · Amphibians

Plains leopard frog (Lithobates blairi): Never green; usually a distinct pale spot on the eardrum. Posterior end of the dorsolateral ridges inset or angled inward. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the plains leopard frog map

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

Scientific name
Lithobates blairi
Family
Ranidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southern South Dakota to central Texas, west to eastern Colorado and eastern New Mexico, east to Indiana and southeastern Missouri; disjunct in southeastern Arizona. Hybridizes with northern leopard frog in eastern Colorado and Nebraska. Not a Canadian species.
Biology

How to identify it

Never green; usually a distinct pale spot on the eardrum. [1][2][3]

Posterior end of the dorsolateral ridges inset or angled inward. [1][2][3]

Light line along the upper jaw and a dark snout spot (per Animal Diversity Web). [1][2][3]

Yellow on the groin and underside of the thigh (per Animal Diversity Web). [1][2][3]

Compared with the northern leopard frog: Can be green, usually lacks the pale eardrum spot, ridges not inset at the rear. [1][2][3]

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 plains leopard frog before you act. Compared with the northern leopard frog: Can be green, usually lacks the pale eardrum spot, ridges not inset at the rear.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Streams, ponds, ditches and marshes in prairie, desert grassland and farmland; may range into surrounding land in wet weather. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Males call from the water surface; call of 2-3 distinct 'chucks' (Animal Diversity Web) [1][2][3]

Lays eggs in spring, summer or early fall, often after heavy rain [1][2][3]

Burrows into mud in winter; some move up to 8 km between ponds [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

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

Southern South Dakota to central Texas, west to eastern Colorado and eastern New Mexico, east to Indiana and southeastern Missouri; disjunct in southeastern Arizona. Hybridizes with northern leopard frog in eastern Colorado and Nebraska. Not a Canadian species.

Biology

Sources

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

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

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

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology