Overview
The foothill yellow-legged frog is a small to medium-sized frog with rough, pebbly skin that is generally mottled gray, olive or brown. The frog gets its name from the yellow shading on its belly and underside of the rear legs.
The foothill yellow-legged frog lives in foothill and mountain streams from the Pacific Coast to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades mountains, up to approximately 5,000 feet in elevation. The foothill yellow-legged frog occurs in a wide variety of vegetation types including valley-foothill hardwood, valley-foothill hardwood-conifer, valley-foothill riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian , ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, mixed chaparral and wet meadows. The frog is closely associated with streams and is rarely observed far from the water’s edge. Breeding stream habitat is typically shallow, rocky and at least partially exposed to direct sunlight.
The foothill yellow-legged frog consists of six geographically and genetically distinct population segments (DPS). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the South Coast DPS and South Sierra DPS as endangered due to a strong pattern of declining stream occupancy, rapid reductions in occupied range and predicted inability to survive a catastrophic event. The North Feather DPS and Central Coast DPS are listed as threatened due to decreasing levels of stream occupancy and the potential for a variety of threats to cause additional declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined the North Coast DPS and North Sierra DPS are not warranted for listing after data showed high levels of occupancy in streams located throughout their ranges, giving them greater ability to withstand environmental changes and catastrophic events.
The amphibian faces several threats, including altered waterflows that are related to water infrastructure, competition with and predation by non-native species and disease. The species also faces threats from precipitation and temperature changes that are related to climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change , as well as high-severity wildfires. Water-related recreation and habitat conversion and degradation also threaten this species.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Habitat
Historically, the foothill yellow-legged frog range extended from the Willamette River drainage in Oregon, south to the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. Today, the frog’s range generally follows the historical distributions, but some parts of the range have contracted, especially the southern ends of the South Coast Distinct Population Segment and South Sierra Distinct Population Segment. The frog can be found in seven counties in Oregon and 36 counties in California.
The foothill yellow-legged frog lives in foothill and mountain streams from the Pacific Coast to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades mountains, up to approximately 5,000 feet in elevation. The foothill yellow-legged frog occurs in a wide variety of vegetation types including valley-foothill hardwood, valley-foothill hardwood-conifer, valley-foothill riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian , ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, mixed chaparral and wet meadows. The frog is closely associated with streams and is rarely observed far from the water’s edge. Breeding stream habitat is typically shallow, rocky and at least partially exposed to direct sunlight.
A landmass that projects conspicuously above its surroundings and is higher than a hill.
A natural body of running water.
Food
Tadpoles feed on algae and related freshwater organisms. After metamorphosis, juvenile and adult frogs feed on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates including snails, moths, flies, water striders, beetles, grasshoppers, hornets and ants.
Physical Characteristics
The foothill yellow-legged frog is a small to medium-sized frog with rough, pebbly skin that is generally mottled gray, olive or brown. The frog gets its name from the yellow shading on its belly and underside of the rear legs.
Measurements
Length: 1.5 to 3.2 inches
Life Cycle
During the breeding season, foothill yellow-legged frogs exhibit a lek-style mating system, where males congregate at breeding sites and often establish small calling territories to attract female mates. Female foothill yellow-legged frogs lay one egg mass per year, containing approximately 1,000 to 2,500 eggs, but may range from approximately 100 to more than 4,000 eggs.
Foothill yellow-legged frog maximum life span could be as long as 10 to 15 years. However, typical life span in the wild is likely closer to 5 years.
Behavior
When out of the water, foothill yellow-legged frogs are typically observed in the open, perched on an exposed rock, sand bar or sandy shore.
Geography
The foothill yellow-legged frog is found from Oregon to southern California.
Timeline
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