Head to head
Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog vs Southern Leopard Frog
An Atlantic Coast leopard frog and a southern leopard frog look close enough to identical that the former went entirely unrecognised by science for decades, hiding within populations everyone assumed belonged to the latter.
| Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog | Southern Leopard Frog | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Lithobates kauffeldi | Lithobates sphenocephalus |
| Formal description | Only described in 2014 | Long recognised |
| Range | Connecticut to North Carolina, coastal | Southeastern United States, broad |
| Distinguishing call | Single short "chuck" note | More typical multi-note leopard frog call |
| Visual identification | Nearly impossible without call | Somewhat more pointed snout |
| Range straying from water | Not specifically noted | Frequently ranges into grassland/fields |
| Habitat | Coastal wetland and marsh | Wetland, grassland, fields, yards |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog vs Southern Leopard Frog: common questions
Why did it take so long to recognize the Atlantic Coast leopard frog as its own species?
It closely resembles the already well-known southern leopard frog in appearance, and it wasn't until researchers noticed that its distinctive single "chuck" call differed clearly from the southern leopard frog's more typical call that genetic study confirmed it as a genuinely separate lineage, leading to its formal description in 2014.
How can you tell the Atlantic Coast leopard frog and southern leopard frog apart?
Call is by far the most reliable method, since the Atlantic Coast leopard frog produces a single short "chuck" note while the southern leopard frog's call is more typical of leopard frogs generally, as visual identification alone is largely unreliable given how similar the two species look.
Do these two species live in the same places?
Their ranges come close together along parts of the Atlantic coast, but the Atlantic Coast leopard frog is confined to a narrower coastal strip from Connecticut to North Carolina, while the southern leopard frog ranges much more broadly across the southeastern United States generally.