THE RIBBIT EXHIBIT

Florida’s native frogs and toads are increasingly threatened by invasive species. Knowing how to identify nonnative species and alert wildlife authorities can help protect the Tampa Bay ecosystem. This knowledge will also help you protect your pets from southern and cane toads – both species can be toxic.

KNOW YOUR FLORIDA NATIVES

Native Species
A native species is indigenous to a specific area, meaning it evolved locally in response to its surroundings.

Green tree frogs are 1.25 to 2.25 inches in length. They vary in color, but most are a brighter, more vivid green than Cuban tree frogs. They can have scattered yellow spots on their back and tend to have white or cream colored stripes extending from their lips down to their sides and groin. The stripes sometimes have black borders. Their toe pads are much smaller than a Cuban tree frog’s.

You can thank green tree frogs for helping to keep Florida’s mosquito population under control. They love to eat insects! These frogs are generally active from spring to early fall, and they can leap at a speed of up to 10 mph. As their name suggests, they hide in trees during the day, descending at dusk to feed and breed.

Barking tree frogs are 2 - 2.5 inches in length with a short, stout body. They can be dark brown, pale gray, yellowish, or green, but there is almost always some green evident. Squarish brown spots are usually visible, but sometimes missing. Sharply defined lines on their upper lip can extend to shoulders or sides. Their skin is somewhat rough. 

Barking tree frogs are Florida’s largest native tree frog. Their call is said to resemble a barking dog, and males often call while floating in the water. This sensitive species is one of the first to disappear when wetlands and forests are polluted. 

Southern toads are smaller than cane toads, reaching 1.5 to 3 inches in length. They are generally brown or reddish, but occasionally very dark. Their dark spots usually have 1-2 warts. They have high cranial crests with pronounced knobs - ridges run from the knobs and converge near the snout. 

Southern toads are the most common toads in the southern United States. This species will eat anything that can fit in its mouth, but small insects make up the majority of its diet. The southern toad’s call can consist of up to 75 trills per second!

AND HELP STOP INVASIVES!

Invasive Species
A non-native species arrived in its surrounding environment from somewhere else. Not all non-natives cause harm. An invasive species is a non-native species with an established population that causes harm to the ecosystem, economy, and/or human health. Cane toads and Cuban tree frogs are invasive in Florida.

Cane toads are very large, often reaching 4-6 inches in length, but they can be even bigger. Females can grow to 3.3 pounds! Their brown bodies can have a yellow, red, or olive tinge and are somewhat wide and flattened. May have a light mid-dorsal line and irregular spots. Cane toads lack high cranial crests, which are a characteristic of native southern toads. 

Native to extreme southern Texas and Central America, cane toads were intentionally released in Florida in the 1930s and 1940s to control pests in sugarcane fields. They will eat almost anything they can swallow, and their tongues move so quickly that they can catch their prey in 1/10 of a second. Cane toads reproduce quickly - they can lay up to 36,000 eggs at once!

Cuban tree frogs are 1.5 - 5 inches and can be beige, brown, gray or green. They often have splotchy brown, green, or olive dorsal spots. They have large toe pads and their skin is fused smoothly to their skull, but warty elsewhere.

Cuban tree frogs are the largest tree frogs in North America. They thrive in warm, humid climates similar to that of Cuba, such as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Florida. Cuban tree frogs were first reported in the Florida Keys in the 1930s, presumed to have arrived from Cuba via commercial shipping. Some biologists believe their arrival could have occurred naturally. With 6 rows of teeth, they are skilled at catching and eating lizards and other frogs.

Thank you to the Florida Museum of Natural History for generously providing frog and toad sound clips and assistance with exhibit development. The Florida Museum has been inspiring people to value and protect the biological richness and cultural heritage of our diverse world for more than a century. Located on the University of Florida campus, the Florida Museum is home to more than 40 million specimens and artifacts, one of the nation’s largest natural history collections. For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu or follow them on social media, @FloridaMuseum.