Description. This is a large frog (males, 7 cm; females,
10 cm total length) that is light golden to dark brown on the back and
may have some dark spots; they have moderately to well developed dorsolateral
folds (ridges of skin along the sides of the back).
Distribution. The red-legged frog occurs widely west of
the Cascade Mountains from British Columbia to California. Click here to
go to the Washington Gap Analysis distribution
map for this species; use the "back" button on your web browser to
come back to this page.
Habitat. These frogs lives in forests, damp meadows, marshes,
ponds, lakes, and streamsides. During rainy seasons, they are occasionally
found on land away from water.
Cool Biology Facts. Red-legged frogs have fairly quiet
voices and are seldom heard by people. They may call underwater and even start breeding before ice melts from ponds!
Conservation status. Red-legged frogs can be very common
in appropriate habitats. However, as with many other amphibians, they are
sensitive to destruction or damage (such as from pollution) of wetlands
habitats throughout their range.
Photograph by Brad Moon.
