Southern Mountain Yellow Legged Frog
Rana muscosa
As you near the shoreline of mountain lakes, you often hear the kerplops as the frogs jump into the water. They are difficult to see among the rocks and debris of lake bottoms where they will sit waiting for intruders to leave.
Description: Length 2 ½” – 3 ¼ inches (5 – 8 cm); brown with darker spots above, yellow to orange below. Smooth skin. Narrow at waist, long legs
Habitat: Margins of lakes and streams, often bordered by meadows
Range: 7,000’ to 11,500’ (2150 to 3500 m)
Food: Insects and other invertebrates
Season: Breed from June through August.
Reproduction:
Comments: Thought to have disappeared from the San Jacinto mountains until recently. In 2009, two populations of the frog were rediscovered 2 miles apart in tributaries of Tahquitz Creek. The San Diego Zoo has begun a program to re-populate the frog.
Photo: Chris Brown, USGS