Mountain Yellow-legged Frog

Rana muscosa is a federally endangered species due to catastrophic population collapses driven primarily by the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus. Additionally, the introduction of non-native trout into their high-altitude lake habitats has decimated their tadpoles.

This aquatic frog is native specifically to the high-elevation lakes and streams of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. They require deep, cold water pools to survive the freezing winters at high altitudes.

Conservationists have been working to restore their populations by physically removing non-native trout from key alpine lakes and breeding the frogs in captivity. Institutions like the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance have successfully reintroduced captive-bred frogs back into the wild.

True to its name, the undersides of its hind legs are often a distinct yellow or orange color. Their dorsal coloration ranges from olive to brown, often speckled with dark spots that help them camouflage against the rocky stream beds.