BELLINGHAM HERALD (Washington) 11 May 06 Habitat shrinking for forest frog - Bullfrogs may also contribute to decline of red-legged frog (Fiona Cohen)
Photo: This red-legged frog was spotted at Lake Louise Beaver Pond.
Red-legged frogs roam through forests near shady ponds, hunting for spiders, insects and slugs. They have golden eyes and rosy red legs and measure as much as three inches from snout to rump. They spend the winter hibernating in the mud at the bottom ponds.
When breeding season begins in late February, the males start calling underwater, sometimes under a layer of ice.
They make a low, murmuring sound. Females join them. Then the females lay a mass of eggs underwater.
Four weeks later, stubby tadpoles hatch from these eggs. The tadpoles eat algae and try and dodge predators. Most become meals, or at least snacks.
In late summer, the tadpoles metamorphose into frogs, which emerge from the water, each less than an inch long.
Red-legged frog populations have declined in many areas as suburbs and farms take over the shady wetlands where they breed. Bullfrogs, an introduced species, also may have led to the decline.
Red-Legged Frog Facts
Scientific name: Rana aurora
Where found: Shady ponds and lakes
Places to look: Stimpson Family Nature Reserve
Habitat shrinking for forest frog