Skip to Main Content
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance logo
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library logo

Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa) Fact Sheet: Summary

Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa) Fact Sheet

Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana muscosa)

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

 

Taxonomy Physical Characteristics

Describer (Date): Camp (1917)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Amphibia

Order: Anura

Family: Ranidae

Genus: Rana

Species: R. muscosa

Body Length
Male snout-vent length: 2.20 in (56 mm)
Female snout-vent length: 2.52 in (64 mm)

Sexual Dimorphism
Females larger
Males have nuptial pad on forefeet

Other
Back green or brown, with spotted pattern
Front white or yellow
Distribution & Status Behavior & Ecology

Range
Southern California in San Jacinto,
San Bernadino and San Jacinto mountains

Habitat
Mountain streams and ponds with
riparian (bank) vegetation

IUCN Status

  • Endangered (2021 assessment)

CITES Status

  • Not listed

Population in Wild
Less than 200 individuals

Activity Cycle
Diurnal (active during the day)

Locomotion
Highly aquatic, hops on land

Diet
Tadpoles eat algae, small insects and aquatic larvae of insect species.
Adults eat insects.

Predators
Trout eat tadpoles.

Interspecies Interactions
Trout interrupt pathways between foraging
and breeding sites.
Reproduction & Development Species Highlights

Courtship
Males and females migrate to ponds for breeding

Mating
Occurs just after ice melts, April-May

Nesting
Eggs laid late spring to early summer

Clutch Size
100-1000 eggs per egg mass

Time to Hatching
From 5-6 weeks

Development
Metamorphosis requires at least one season of overwintering, 2-3 years

Typical Life Expectancy
Preliminary estimate of 12-15 years; more research needed

 Featured Facts
  • Among the largest of North American frogs, reaching over 3 inches
  • Metamorphosis in the wild may occur within 6 months, but may take up to 2-3 years, depending on environmental conditions
  • Endangered
  • Threats include disease, predators, and environmental factors
  • San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance helps to lead Mountain Yellow-legged Frog recovery efforts; began in 2006
  • First successfully bred in managed care in 2009
  • Reintroductions to the wild since 2010

About This Fact Sheet

© 2016 San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

How to cite: Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana muscosa) Fact Sheet. c2016. San Diego (CA): San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance; [accessed YYYY Mmm dd]. http://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/ mountainyellow-leggedfrog
(note: replace YYYY Mmm dd with date accessed, e.g., 2017 Jan 15)

Disclaimer: Although San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance makes every attempt to provide accurate information, some of the facts provided may become outdated or replaced by new research findings. Questions and comments may be addressed to library@sdzwa.org.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Dr. Natalie Calatayud for providing expert content review of this fact sheet.

At the time of this writing, Dr. Calatayud serves as a postdoctoral associate in San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Reproductive Physiology Division. Her research interests include reproduction, endocrinology, and nutrition in frogs and toads. Natalie’s main research focus is the recovery and reintroduction of the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog. In addition, she acts as a consultant for the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife’s boreal toad recovery team.

Dr. Calatayud earned her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Manchester and her Doctoral degree in Reproductive Physiology and Molecular Biology at Melbourne University.

SDZWA Library Links