Frogs & Toads in Layton, Utah

The city of Layton is in Davis County in Utah, just north of Salt Lake City. It is located close to the shores of the state's Great Salt Lake whose waters are not suitable for amphibian life. The freshwater marshes and inlets in the area, however, teem with aquatic life including four of the state's 16 frog and toad species.

  1. American Bullfrog

    • The American bullfrog is not a native of Utah, but was introduced from east of the Rockies. It is the largest frog in the U.S. The frog grows to between 3 and 6 inches in length and up to 1 lb. in weight. It is green to grayish brown in color with brown spots. The frog is nocturnal and has a voracious appetite, eating anything that will fit in its mouth. It is not common in Davis County but has been found there.

    Great Basin Spadefoot

    • The Great Basin spadefoot is found through much of Davis County. It is a small toad that grows to between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. The toad is gray to olive green in color which camouflages well against stony pebbled ground. Its body is rotund and it has distinctive large, gold-colored eyes with catlike pupils. It is a nocturnal species, foraging through the night for a wide variety of small insects.

    Northern Leopard Frog

    • The northern leopard frog is most common in the east of Davis County, but is found more centrally in small populations near Layton. It is a medium-sized frog that grows to between 3 to 5 inches in length. The frog is greenish-brown in color with dark spots all over its back and legs. The species is the one commonly used for dissection purposes in school anatomy classes. Like the bullfrog, the leopard frog is not picky as to what it eats, feeding on insects, amphibians, small reptiles and birds.

    Woodhouse's Toad

    • The populations of the Woodhouse's toad in Davis County are mainly found in the east, but small groups live near the Layton area. It is a large species that grows to around 5 inches in length. It is brownish green in color with a rough, warty skin and a round body shape. The toad is nocturnal and feeds on a wide array of small insects. It prefers habitats with moist loose soil that it can easily burrow into.