Northern red-legged frog

Northern red-legged frog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Rana
Species:
R. aurora
Binomial name
Rana aurora
Baird and Girard, 1852

The northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) is a species of amphibian whose range is the coastal region stretching from southwest British Columbia to southern Mendocino County in Northern California, and is protected in Oregon and California.[2] As a member of the genus Rana, this species is considered a true frog, with characteristic smooth skin and a narrow waist. This frog requires still waters for breeding, and is rarely found at any great distance from its breeding ponds or marshes.

Northern red-legged frog adults may attain a length of 8 cm (3.1 in); they have dark facial masks and single characteristic light stripes along their jawlines.[3] The northern red-legged frog has long, powerful legs well adapted to jumping. It is one of two amphibian species classified as red-legged frog, the other species being the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii); however, the latter species is found from southern Mendocino County southerly to Baja California.

  1. ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Rana aurora". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T58553A78906924. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T58553A78906924.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ California Wildlife, Volume I: Amphibians and Reptiles, ed. by D.C. Zeiner et al., published by the California State Department of Fish and Game, 2 May 1988
  3. ^ Stebbins, R.C. Amphibians and Reptiles of North America, McGraw Hill, New York (1954)