Today I found a black frog behind the house. It definitely had the shape and behaviour of a frog and not a toad. Its skin was pitch black and glossy. It is a bit smaller than a full sized leopard frog. Not knowing what species it was I made a mental note and went on about my business.
Following up in the Peterson Field Guide on Reptiles and Amphibians*, I was expecting to find the frog, but much to my surprise no frog nor toad exists in the guide that meets this description. An internet search only identified black frogs in other and usually tropical continents. Had I known that this frog is not so common I would have caught it. But then what could I do with it, besides possibly take a picture.
Is this a freak of nature I wonder? If anybody knows any more about this type frog or has an explanation for it, I would be interested to know. Please leave a comment or email me at leanhoser@canada.com.
*A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians, Eastern and Central North America, Roger Connant and Joseph T. Collins, Illustrated by Isabelle Hunt Connant and Tom R. Johnson, Third Edition, Expanded.
Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, The National (US) Wildlife Federation, and The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, New York, 1998 ISBN 0-395-90452-8
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