Photo by: Rick Kuyper/USFWS
California Red-legged Frog
Rana draytonii
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Threatened
(fws.gov)
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U.S. Endangered Species Act
(fws.gov)
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Most negative impacts are a result of habitat alteration from the draining or filling of California’s wetlands due to agricultural and urban development. California red-legged frogs also experience a loss of their optimal environment by non-native species (fws.gov).
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Located from Mendocino County, CA to Shasta County, CA, as well as down south to Baja California, Mexico (fws.gov).
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California red-legged frogs live in or around water including streams and ponds. They breed in the aquatic environment but move to higher elevation to get food or shelter themselves when stream levels become high. To avoid extensive heat in the summer, these frogs use leaves, burrows, rocks, or stream channels to cool themselves. They usually live no more than 5 years and reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years old. Like many frogs, they reproduce and lay eggs following a major rainfall event (consisting of 300-4,000 eggs) (fws.gov).
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Number of individuals in habitats containing mostly California red-legged frogs vs. habitats that contain a mix of different species to see how coexistence or solidarity influences the recovery of populations.
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California red-legged frogs are the largest native frogs in the western US. As adults, females typically grow to be larger than males. The abdomen and hind legs usually consist of deep pink or red colors. The dorsal (back) side can be brown, olive, gray, or red-brown and contains small and black irregular spotting (fws.gov). California red-legged frogs look similar to Northern red-legged frogs in terms of color and body size, but the California red-legged frog tends to have larger spots and more pronounced stripes on hind legs. Their main distinction is through location (californiaherps.com).
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