Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
Source: U. S.
Geological Survey/photo by Galen Rathbun
Scientific Name: Rana boylii
Family: Ranidae (True Frog)
Size: 1.5 to 2.8 inches
Description: The Foothill yellow-legged frog is grey, brown, olive-green or redish, depending on the color of the surrounding soil. The frog's underside, including its legs, are yellow.
Diet: Adults eat aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates including insects and snails. Tadpoles (early form of a frog) may consume algae in rocky stream bottoms.
Habitat: The Foothill yellow-legged frog lives in areas with sandy or rocky stream beds in several habitats, typically in forested areas, coastal scrub, and chaparral communities. In GGNRA, this frog may inhabit the Presidio and Muir Woods.
Status: Federal Species of Concern.
Interesting Information: This species of the True Frog family rarely leaves permanent water sources. If the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog is disturbed, it will dive to the bottom of the stream bed or other permanent water source where it lives.
References:
California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System. California Department of Fish and Game.
National
Audubon Society. 1998. Field Guide to California. Peter Alden et al.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
