Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The Cuban treefrog is the largest treefrog in the United States. Native to Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands, it has spread throughout Florida, where it eats native treefrogs and can even cause power outages by getting into electrical boxes.

Appearance

Appearance: Males are about 1.5–3.5 in (4–9 cm) long and females about 2–5.5 in (5–14 cm), and some females top 6 in (15 cm). In Florida, any treefrog longer than 3 inches is almost certainly a Cuban treefrog. Color ranges from creamy white to tan, brown, gray, or olive green, and it can change shade. Look for very large toe pads, big bulging eyes, warty skin on the back, and a yellow wash in the armpits and groin.

Look-alikes

Barking TreefrogDryophytes gratiosus

Native treefrogs are smaller, with smaller eyes and toe pads. A Cuban treefrog's head skin is fused to the skull, and its toe pads are about as wide as its eardrum.

Why they get mixed upIt is one of the two native frogs most often mistaken for a Cuban treefrog in Florida.

Cope's Gray TreefrogDryophytes chrysoscelis

Smaller overall, with noticeably smaller toe pads and eyes than a Cuban treefrog.

Why they get mixed upIt is the other native frog most often mistaken for a Cuban treefrog in Florida.

Green TreefrogDryophytes cinereus

A Cuban treefrog's toe pads are much larger than a green treefrog's. Young Cuban treefrogs can also be green, but they lack the light side stripe and have bluish leg bones that show through the skin.

Why they get mixed upYoung Cuban treefrogs are often green.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Suburbs and towns
Lowland forests
Swamps
Farmland
Range: Established throughout peninsular Florida and the Panhandle, along the Georgia coast north to Savannah, and around New Orleans, Louisiana. It is also established in Puerto Rico and on St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Frogs have hitchhiked to Hawaii in plant shipments, and strays carried by people turn up in other states.
Preferred conditions: Likes damp, shady spots near trees and shrubs, and is common on houses, cisterns, and rain barrels. It can tolerate slightly salty water.

Behavior

Diet: Eats almost anything that fits in its mouth: insects, other frogs (including native treefrogs), small lizards, and snakes.
Activity: Active at night. Choruses can be loud, especially before dawn after heavy rain. The call is a high-pitched, snoring rasp.

Life cycle

Breeding season: Mainly spring and summer in Florida, and year-round in South Florida. Warm summer rain sets off breeding.
Reproduction: Eggs float as a film on the water. It breeds even in buckets, pools, and birdbaths that have no fish. Eggs can hatch in under 30 hours, and tadpoles can become froglets in about a month.
Clutch size: Several thousand eggs per clutch (averaging about 4,000–5,000); smaller females lay fewer

Cautions

Cautions: When handled, it releases a sticky skin secretion that can burn and itch in the eyes and nose for over an hour. Wear gloves and wash your hands afterward. Dogs and cats that bite one may drool heavily, and seizures have been reported.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Status: Invasive in Florida, where people are asked to report sightings, especially from outside the peninsula. Before removing a frog, make sure it really is a Cuban treefrog, and use humane methods—never household chemicals.
Threats: It also causes trouble for people: it gets into transformer boxes, electrical switches, pump housings, and AC units, and short circuits have caused power outages in central Florida.