NORTHERN RED-LEGGED FROG

Selina Heppell, Danielle Nelson, Tiffany Garcia

Latin name: Rana aurora

The Northern Red-legged Frog is a native pond-breeding amphibian that is recognized by Oregon as a Sensitive Species. This species has been impacted by introductions of invasive American Bullfrogs and habitat loss in western Washington and Oregon. This cryptic species is often missed because they call exclusively underwater, a behavior that has been studied by Danielle Nelson. Research on the emergence, movement, and dispersal behavior of this species has been carried out by both Nathan Chelgren and Evan Bredeweg. This is complemented by work from Jenn Rowe, who examined landscape factors that influence Northern Red-legged Frog populations. These research efforts inform wildlife management of conservation of this species.

Did you know? They croak underwater!

More information

Publications: 

Correlated trait response: comparing amphibian defense strategies across a stress gradient

Chelgren, ND*, DK Rosenberg, SS Heppell, and AI Gitelman. 2008. Individual variation affects departure rate from the natal pond in an ephemeral pond-breeding anuran. Canadian Journal of Zoology 86:260-267.

Chelgren, N.D.*, Rosenberg, D.K, Heppell, S.S., and Gitelman, A. 2006. Carry-over aquatic effects on survival of metamorphic frogs during pond emigration. Ecological Applications 16:250-262.