Mountain Yellow-legged Frog

Rana muscosa

The Mountain Yellow-legged Frog is one of the amphibian species that is quickly disappearing. It has already vanished from more than half of the places where it was once common. Some scientists think that the frogs were wiped out by hungry trout that were planted in the lakes where this species lives, but this frog has also disappeared from places without the trout. Acid rain and changes in the ozone layer may also be playing a part in the disappearance of this frog.

Look For : A dark frog with mottled greenish-black markings and a light stripe on its upper lip; below, hindlegs and belly are yellow. This is the only frog high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Length : 2-3 1/4".

Habitat : Banks of lakes, ponds, and streams.

Range : Sierra Nevada and southern California mountains.