Frogs & Toads of Morocco
An incredible diversity
Morocco is home to the highest diversity of frogs and toads in North Africa, with 12 species. Three of them are endemic, found nowhere else on Earth: the abundant Moroccan Painted Frog and the two increasingly threatened Moroccan Spadefoot Toad and Moroccan Midwife Toad.
species
species
While some species are common throughout the country and far from endangered, others survive only in increasingly small pockets of suitable habitat. Habitat loss and ever-longer droughts are creating new challenges for the most specialised species, several of them among the endemics. A fragile diversity, vanishing slowly but steadily, with no one noticing.
Pelobates varaldiiMoroccan Spadefoot ToadHow to identify a Frog or Toad in Morocco
Morocco's twelve Frogs and Toads are harmless, though Toads carry a mild skin irritant. Keep your distance, this guide is for identification, not to encourage the handling of harmless species.
1 Is it really a Frog or a Toad?
COLLAGE: frog or toad on whiteThree quick checks
- Moist skin
- No tail, no scales
- Long back legs for jumping
2 Which species is it?
Moroccan Midwife Toad
Alytes maurus
- Small, up to ~4.5 cm
- Grey to brown, warty skin, sometimes tiny orange warts
- Rounded snout
- Mountains only: Rif, Tazekka, Bou Iblane
Painted Frog
Discoglossus pictus
- Eyes on the sides of the head
- Triangular, pointed snout
- Never bright green
- Like the Moroccan Painted Frog, but east of the Moulouya river
- Not a green frog like the Sahara Green Frog, whose eyes sit on top of the head and which is often bright green
Moroccan Painted Frog
Discoglossus scovazzi
- Eyes on the sides of the head
- Triangular, pointed snout
- Never bright green
- Like the Painted Frog, but west of the Moulouya river
- Not a green frog like the Sahara Green Frog, whose eyes sit on top of the head and which is often bright green
Brongersma's Toad
Barbarophryne brongersmai
- Small toad (up to ~5 cm), warty
- Often orange and green
- Belly almost always spotted
- Like the African Green Toad, but with rounded parotoid glands (about as long as wide)
Spiny Toad
Bufo spinosus
- Large, very warty toad, spiny feet
- Red to orange eyes
- Large parotoid glands behind the eyes
- Adults dark brown to black with a black temple; young more colourful, with orange
African Green Toad
Bufotes boulengeri
- Larger toad (up to ~10 cm), variable coloration
- Warty
- Belly almost always white
- Like Brongersma's Toad, but with elongated parotoid glands (about twice as long as wide)
Moorish Toad
Sclerophrys mauritanica
- Warty, with large parotoid glands
- Two or more well-defined dark spots under each eye
- A dark patch linking the eyes across the top of the head
Mediterranean Tree Frog
Hyla meridionalis
- Smooth skin
- Uniform colour, usually green
- Dark stripe through the eye
- Small
Moroccan Spadefoot Toad
Pelobates varaldii
- Small and boxy, short snout
- Warty tubercles on the sides
- Extremely range-restricted: Oualidia, and Rabat to Tangier
Sahara Green Frog
Pelophylax saharicus
- Morocco's most common amphibian
- Eyes on top, pointing skyward
- Variable colour, often green
- Always near water
Frogs & Toads of Morocco
What's the difference between a frog and a toad?
It's an informal distinction, not a scientific one, and toads are really a kind of frog. As a rule of thumb, frogs tend to have smooth, moist skin and long jumping legs. Toads have drier, warty skin and shorter legs and tend to walk rather than leap.
Check our Identification guide to learn to tell the species apart.
Are Morocco's frogs and toads poisonous or dangerous?
Not to people. Some toads have mild skin secretions that can irritate, so it's best not to handle them, and to wash your hands if you do. A dog that mouths a toad may feel unwell, but no species in Morocco is dangerous, least of all to humans.
How do I stop frogs croaking at night, or get them out of my pool?
The croaking is males calling in the breeding season. If frogs end up in a pool, give them a way out, a floating ramp, a plank or a partly submerged towel, and they'll usually leave on their own once they can climb out.
There's no need to harm them. They eat mosquitoes and other insects, and won't stay once the season or the water no longer suits them.
Where can I find frogs and toads in Morocco?
Wherever there's water. Most species stay close to wetlands, streams, ponds and irrigation channels, and several reach the desert's edge and its oases, breeding fast in temporary pools after rain. The best time to find them is on mild, damp nights in the breeding season, when the males are calling.
How do you say frog in Moroccan Darija?
Two words are used, dfeda’ (ضفدع), the everyday Arabic term, and jran (جران), the more typically Moroccan one.
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Moroccan Midwife Toad
Alytes maurus
Page coming soon
Painted Frog
Discoglossus pictus
Page coming soon
Moroccan Painted Frog
Discoglossus scovazzi
Page coming soon
Moroccan Spadefoot Toad
Pelobates varaldii
Page coming soon
Brongersma's Toad
Barbarophryne brongersmai
Page coming soon
Spiny Toad
Bufo spinosus
Page coming soon
African Green Toad
Bufotes boulengeri
Page coming soon
Moorish Toad
Sclerophrys mauritanica
Page coming soon
Sahara Green Frog
Pelophylax saharicus
Page coming soon
Mediterranean Tree Frog
Hyla meridionalis
Page coming soon
Subdesert Toad
Sclerophrys xeros
Not documented yet
Crowned Bullfrog
Hoplobatrachus occipitalis
Not documented yetNo species matches that. Try the Latin name, or clear the search.
The full list of Morocco's 12 frog and toad species.
Alytidae · 3 species
Alytes maurusEndemicMoroccan Midwife Toadعلجوم الطين المغربيENComing soonDiscoglossus pictusPainted Frogالضفدع الملونLCComing soonDiscoglossus scovazziEndemicMoroccan Painted Frogالضفدع الملون المغربيLCComing soonPelobatidae · 1 species
Pelobates varaldiiEndemicMoroccan Spadefoot Toadعلجوم هِكرِس المغربيENComing soonBufonidae · 5 species
Barbarophryne brongersmaiBrongersma's Toadعلجوم برونْجرسْماLCComing soonBufo spinosusSpiny Toadالعلجوم الشائكLCComing soonBufotes boulengeriAfrican Green Toadالعلجوم الأخضرLCComing soonSclerophrys mauritanicaMoorish Toadالعلجوم المغاربيLCComing soonSclerophrys xerosTo confirmSubdesert Toadعلجوم السافاناLCNot documentedRanidae · 1 species
Pelophylax saharicusSahara Green Frogجزاع صحراويLCComing soonHylidae · 1 species
Hyla meridionalisMediterranean Tree Frogضفيدع الشجر المتوسطيLCComing soonDicroglossidae · 1 species
Hoplobatrachus occipitalisTo confirmCrowned Bullfrogضفدع أدرار عطارLCNot documentedAbout this checklist
Our list follows the most recent reference checklist of Moroccan herpetofauna (Bouazza et al., 2021). We revise and expand it as new studies appear. For a small number of species, we have drawn our own conclusions in light of the latest data (endemism status, species boundaries).