Ascaphus montanus
Silhouette: Sarah Werning · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The tailed frogs are two species of frogs in the genus Ascaphus, the only taxon in the family Ascaphidae. The "tail" in the name is actually an extension of the male cloaca. The tail is one of two distinctive anatomical features adapting the species to life in fast-flowing streams. These are the only North American frog species that reproduce by internal fertilization. They are among the most primitive known families of frogs.
Its scientific name means 'without a spade', from the privative prefix a- and the Ancient Greek skaphís (σκαφίς, 'spade, shovel'), referring to the metatarsal spade, which these frogs do not have. However, in that year, Nielson, Lohman, and Sullivan published evidence that promoted the Rocky Mountain tailed frog (Ascaphus montanus) from a subspecies to its own species. Since then, the former species has been formally called the coastal tailed frog.
The genus Ascaphus, through mtDNA comparisons, has been grouped into a clade with the genus Leiopelma creating a sister taxon to all modern anurans. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 5 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog in Glacier National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months. Those are among Glacier National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 80 mm in February.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Glacier National Park, in our data
Glacier National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Anura
The closest relatives of the Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog that you can see in Glacier National Park (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are Western Toad (about 40%), Columbia Spotted Frog (about 30%) and Pacific chorus frog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Glacier National Park (35 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
