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Lillian Waddick

Mr. Vukovich

Zoology: Period One

1 February 2019

Mountain Yellow-legged Frog

The mountain yellow-legged frog is an amphibian that ranges from 1.5 to 3.25 inches on

average. Female frogs of this species tend to be slightly larger than the males. Adult frogs are

yellow and brown in color and are highly aquatic. They are rarely found away from water. These

animals are found on rocks near shorelines in lakes, meadows, marshes, and streams. Mountain

yellow-legged frogs consume invertebrates including beetles, flies, wasps, ants, and dragonflies.

In addition to that, these frogs hibernate when the weather becomes too cold or if there is heavy

snow. They emerge so they can breed and lay their eggs. Once the tadpoles develop, it takes

them two to four years to reach maturity. It can take a total of five to eight years for the frog to

reproduce after it has left the egg.

The mountain yellow-legged frog is endemic to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in

California. This frog was once abundant in the mountain range, but over time its numbers have

decreased. Mountain yellow-legged frogs have been documented to have disappeared from 70 to

90 percent of their original locations. There have been many factors leading to the species’

decline including pesticides, pollution, pathogens, and the introduction of non-native species.

Currently, there are some efforts being made to protect the mountain yellow-legged frog.

The Center for Biological Diversity made a petition to add the mountain yellow-legged frog to

the endangered species list in 2000. Since then, the frog has been added to the list and many
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wildlife centers have proposed protecting critical habitat for the frog. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service has proposed many plans for the frog’s recovery, but not many have been put into action.

Hopefully in the future the mountain yellow-legged frog will recover.