Field Guide

A small, olive-brown salamander with a fascinating life cycle, the central newt lives in and around woodland ponds and swamps in all but our far northwestern counties.

A glacial relict in Missouri’s eastern Ozarks, the four-toed salamander lives among mosses in heavily forested streams and creeks and sinkhole ponds. It has a thick, round tail that is constricted at its base. There are four toes on each limb.

The variable groundsnake is a small species with smooth, shiny scales and highly variable coloration. In Missouri, it is mostly restricted to open, rocky hillsides of the southwestern corner of the state.

The western smooth earthsnake is a small, plain, slightly stout snake. It is generally gray, brown, or reddish brown, with few distinct markings. It occurs statewide, except for the northwestern corner.

The grotto salamander is Missouri’s only species of blind salamander. A true troglobite, it lives in total darkness and has small eyes that are completely or partially covered by their pink or beige skin. Occurs in wet caves in the Ozarks.

The eastern spiny softshell is a medium to large softshell turtle with small bumps or spines on the front edge of the upper shell. There are dark spots on the fore- and hind limbs.

The green frog looks similar to a bullfrog but is smaller and has a ridge of skin along the sides of the back that is not found on bullfrogs. It is a game animal in Missouri.

The northern leopard frog is a medium-sized frog with dark spots on the back. Two skin folds run down each side of the back. In Missouri, it only occurs in a few northwestern counties along the Iowa border.

The southern leopard frog is an excellent jumper and quickly leaps into water when startled. From March through July, the males make chuckling or quacking calls from shallow water. Occurs statewide except for the northwestern corner.

A medium-sized spotted frog, the plains leopard frog lives in pastures, prairies, and marshes. The ridge of skin along each side of the back is broken, and a small hind section of it is shifted upward. It occurs nearly statewide, including the Bootheel, but is only rarely present in the Ozarks.