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Native Amphibian Identification
Scroll down to read about our 6 native amphibian species. If you can't identify the species from these notes try looking at our 'exotic' species page or sending us a photo. You can also purchase an ID chart through the Frogalogue.

Go to the Native Reptile Identification page

Anurans (tail-less amphibians)

Common frog (Rana temporaria)

IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Adult grows up to about 9cm long.
Smooth, moist skin.
Frogs have a ‘hump’ two-thirds of the way down their back.
Vary in colour from green and brown to yellow and red. This can be dependent upon the environmental conditions the frog experiences.
The head has a variable amount of brown-black markings. They have a black-brown stripe that runs from the snout to the back of the eye where it forms a triangular shape.
Dark continuous bars on the legs.
The frog eye has a yellow coloured iris and oval shaped pupil.

LIKES: Hibernating under logs and rocks or at the bottom of ponds, damp places and eating invertebrates (beetles, slugs, snails, caterpillars, spiders).

DISLIKES: Grass snakes, birds, foxes, fish, steep-sided ponds.

CURRENT STATUS: Protected by law against trade.

DISTRIBUTION: Widespread and common across the whole of the British Isles and found in a huge diversity of habitats.

Common toad (Bufo bufo)

IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Adult grows to 5-11cm long.
Dry, warty skin.
Body colour is brown-green and can have some dark markings on the back. Like the common frog the toad can change its colour depending on the environmental conditions it experiences.
Has a gland behind each eye that secretes toxins, making it distasteful to predators.
Moves by crawling but can do small hops.
The eye has a bronze coloured iris and horizontal slit pupil.
Belly is a light colour, can be spotted.

LIKES: Eating slugs, worms and insects, hiding under plant pots, logs and bins during the day, returning to the same ponds year after year to spawn.

DISLIKES: Exposure to the sun, cats, salt, drains and traffic.

CURRENT STATUS: There have been declines in toad numbers in much of lowland England and similar decreases are thought to have occurred in Wales and Scotland. This appears to be partly due to the effect of road traffic during the breeding season and also due to loss of breeding ponds.

DISTRIBUTION: Widespread and common in England , Scotland (except the Northwest, where it is rare or absent) and Wales . Not found in Ireland . Prefers large ponds often with fish, as fish do not like to eat toad tadpoles because they find them distasteful.

Distinctive coppery iris and horizontal pupil.

Natterjack toad (Bufo calamita)

IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Adults reach 4-8 cm.
Warty skin.
Has glands behind each eye.
The toad's body colour varies from grey-brown to dark olive green.
Belly is a light creamy colour with dark spots.
The eye has a green coloured iris.
Most distinctive feature of the natterjack toad is the yellow stripe running from the eyes along the spine.
Shorter back legs than common toads.
Moves by running.
Young look similar to adult females.

LIKES: Sandy places, burrowing, eating invertebrates.

DISLIKES: Great crested newts, fish, grass snakes, young eaten by invertebrates and birds.

CURRENT STATUS: Fully protected by the law against all disturbance and interference.

DISTRIBUTION: A very rare toad with a limited distribution in south and south east England, East Anglia, north west England, North Wales, south west Scotland and south west Ireland. Prefers coastal dunes and lowland heaths, salt marshes and upland moor.

Note the yellow dorsal stripe and short back legs.

Caudata (tailed amphibians)

Palmate newt (Triturus helveticus)

IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Smallest amphibian in the UK . Adults grow to around 9cm.
Their body is a green-brown colour with black spots on the body and tail. The belly is yellow with black spots and the throat is pink.
Male palmates have a square shaped back. During the breeding season they develop webbing on their hind feet, a small crest and an extra tail filament (an extension of the tail). When not breeding the male looks like the female.
It has a black stripe running through the eye from the nostril to the neck.
Female palmates never develop a crest, tail filament or webbed feet. Female palmates are difficult to distinguish from female smooth newts, although palmates have a pinkish throat with few/no spots and smooth newts have white throats with large spots or blotches.
Young palmate newts look similar to the adult female.

LIKES: Lots of vegetation in breeding pools, eating invertebrates, is active at dawn and in the night.

DISLIKES: Cats, birds, fish, grass snakes.

CURRENT STATUS: Protected by law against trade.

DISTRIBUTION: Widespread and common in Scotland and Wales with a patchy distribution in England where it is rare or absent in the Midlands and East Anglia .

Male palmate newt during breeding season.

Spotted belly.

Smooth newt (Triturus vulgaris)

IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Adults about 10-11cm long.
In water the skin appears smooth but on land it does not.
Both sexes have a brown-green colour to their body with black spots. Their sides and throat are white and may also be spotted. The belly is orange with black spots.
During the breeding season males develop a crest along their back. At the base of the tail on the lower edge they have an orange and blue stripe. They also develop extra skin around their toes on the hind limbs.
Outside of the breeding season males lose the crest and skin around the toes and look similar to the females.
Females are a duller colour than males and do not develop a crest or extra skin around their toes. The female has an orange stripe on the underside of the tail base. Female smooth newts are difficult to distinguish from female palmates, although palmates have a pinkish throat with few/no spots and smooth newts have white throats with large spots or blotches.
The young are similar to the adult female. Some develop a black line down the spine.

LIKES: Ponds, invertebrates, hiding under refugia on land.

DISLIKES: Cats, birds, grass snakes, water beetles, fish.

CURRENT STATUS: Most widely-distributed newt. Protected by law against trade.

DISTRIBUTION: Widespread and common throughout England , Scotland and Wales , though encountered less frequently in the north and west. The only newt to be found in Ireland . Prefers fish-free pools and ditches with a diversity of vegetation.

Great crested newt (Triturus cristatus)

IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Adults up to 16cm long.
Warty skin.
Belly is orange-yellow with black spots.
Dark brown to black colour on back with black spots.
Some warts, notably the sides and legs, might be white-tipped.
Black and orange striped toes.
During the breeding season males develop a crest that starts at the head and finishes on the tail, which lies flat on the body when the newt is on land. They have a white stripe through the tail.
Outside of the breeding season males look similar to females.
Female do not have a crest or white stripe on the tail; they have an orange line along the base of the tail.
Young are similar to the adult female. Some have a yellow stripe down the back.

LIKES: Slugs, worms, hiding under logs during the day.

DISLIKES: Exposure to the sun, cats, birds and fish .

CURRENT STATUS: Following significant declines of great crested newts throughout the UK, they have full protection under law against any interference or disturbance.

DISTRIBUTION: Well distributed across lowland England and eastern Wales . Rare or absent in most of Scotland . Prefers large established ponds with lots of vegetation and no fish, as well as deep ditches and canals.

Note the white-tipped warts and the male's jagged crest.